The Grand Master's Revenge
by Heart-fractured21
Summary: 8 years have passed since Naraku died and everyone's living happily, including the duo, Sesshomaru and Shiori.But when an old foe rises to seek vengeance on her soul, will Shiori escape or be dragged to Hell once again? Sequel to Shiori, Angel of Darkness
1. Everlasting Grudge

**So, I gave into my desires and decided to write a sequel to my Shiori story. (Read Shiori, Angel of Darkness before reading this one!)...and I figured I'd leave you guys with a little something while I'm away at basic. I don't leave until the 1st so if I get the time, I'll write the second chapter. If not, well...you guys are just gonna have to wait a few months muwhahahaha! lmao...this is usually the part where I'd say, "I own nothing but my oc" but this chapter ONLY has original characters in it.. so...yeah, enjoy :)**

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><p>Cries of pain rang throughout the devastating lands. Blood curdling screams echoed across fields of eternal fire. Distorted creatures hackled evilly as they tortured and demeaned the souls of the damned.<p>

"Crying won't end your suffering!" bellowed one of the monsters over the crackling flames.

Humans and demons alike were all subjected to the severe torture. Hell had no favorites. Hell didn't offer any special treatment to any of the damned souls. It offered nothing but endless torture….for all eternity.

A large castle sat above the demonic hell flames, unaffected by the nightmarish landscape. A man with a pointed beard and long yellow kimono stood watching the scene from the window. He groaned with deep disappointment.

"**Every day, it's always the same morbid scene," **he thought. ** "I don't know why I ever expect to see any different. This truly is a gruesome place."**

He fondled with a piece of parchment in his hand. Every so often, he'd glance down at it with hungry eyes. He tried to ignore the deafening sound of the tortured souls outside the domain, but it was to no avail. No matter where he was in the fortress, he could always hear the wallows of the dead. But there was one sound in particular that he'd love to hear. He looked back down at the parchment again and longingly stroked it.

**"8 years ago…," **he thought. **"Is when this all started."**

"King Enma," said a voice from behind him.

A scaly, humanoid man stood before the king. He had long grey hair and soulless black eyes. There was absolutely no life to the creature what so ever. Enma eyed the man carefully before turning away. He waited for him to speak again.

"It is time for this afternoon's judgment ceremony, King Enma," said the creature, nonchalantly.

"I know what time it is," he sharply answered. "I'll be there momentarily."

The creature nodded before turning to exit, but stopped.

"Is something wrong, My King?" he asked.

Enma turned away from the window and stormed passed his servant. Nozomu trailed behind him, trying to understand why he was so upset. Enma stopped just short of the exit and looked down at the parchment again. He angrily clenched it in his fist.

"It's only been 8 years….yet it feels like it's been so much longer," he said. "Time goes painfully slow in this dreadful place."

"To what are you referring, My King?" asked Nozomu.

Enma released the parchment from his hand and watched as it floated to the floor. He motioned for Nozomu to pick it up. The servant obeyed and scooped up the piece of parchment. He examined it closely. It was a painting of a young woman with a sheathed sword on her hip. She was standing at a side profile, but her head was facing the viewer. She had piercing eyes that matched her purple haori. Her dark wavy hair was swooped over her shoulder in a low ponytail. Her right hand rested on the handle of her sword, it was as if she were ready to draw at any moment.

"This is a portrait of the Princess Shiori of the Netherworld," Nozomu blandly stated.

He nodded, "The Angel of Darkness…."

"That's right," Nozomu said. "8 years ago, is when she defeated you in battle."

"8 years ago…..she was cast down into Hell," Enma said staring back out the window. "She was brought here to suffer for all eternity—but she escaped. Both she and her Father escaped my lands."

He snatched the portrait back from Nozomu, "8 years ago….she challenged me to a duel, and won."

Enma once again glanced down at the parchment of paper. He stared down at Shiori's elegant face in hatred. Yet, he refused to rip up the portrait.

"That girl…has since been a thorn in my side," he spat. "To know that she still wonders the Land of the Living…makes me cringe!"

"You feel pretty strongly about her,"

Enma calmly closed his eyes, "You can't possibly imagine."

"Yes, that's right," said Nozomu nodding as he understood. "I remember now. Her lover, Sesshomaru…I believe, killed The Hell Lord of the East and purified some of our damned souls. And you went after her in revenge."

It was never revenge that Enma was after. He was deeply angered that these souls escaped Hell's grasp. He was angered that Sesshomaru purified the damned souls of Hell, allowing them to be free. Why should they be allowed to leave, while he was forced to stay in such a place? Enma didn't like being in Hell any more than the souls of the damned. But there was no getting out of his duty….just as there was no getting out of Hell. Or at least there wasn't, until she came along. Somehow, Shiori escaped her fate. Her very existence ruined everything for Enma.

**"I underestimated them both,"** he said. **"I never expected Sesshomaru to defeat Shishinki in battle….just as I didn't expect Shiori to defeat me. If our battle had gone on longer, that wench would've killed me. I, the Grand Master of Hell, couldn't allow such a thing. Retreating was the only resort…..but that sword of hers, there was something….strange about it.."**

Enma always swore that he'd get revenge on the girl. She made a complete fool out of him and his accursed lands. He wanted more than anything to watch her, and everyone she loved, suffer in Hell. Enma wanted to completely destroy her essence. He often fantasized about torturing her for all eternity. But he hadn't been able to do so. Enma thought about the duel he had with her 8 years ago.

_"If I win, you will return to the land of the Damned and you will never plague Lord Sesshomaru ever again," she calmly said._

_"And if I win, you will return with me and be my bride in Hell," Enma said.__ "Shiori, you will replace the lord who was slain and forever be a tormentor to the damned…..as well as being tormented yourself."_

Never in a thousand years, did he believe she'd win that battle. He'd heard rumors of her power, but he brushed them off. Enma was still in shock years after the battle. It was something he never got over. Enma hated Shiori deeply, and yet…..he couldn't stop thinking about her.

"**Why should that foolish woman be allowed to freely walk the Earth, while I must stay here in torment?"**

For the past 8 years, he'd done nothing but plan his next big attack on her. She did, after all, leave herself right open. She only secured the safety of her lover, Sesshomaru, not once did she secure her own safety. Not that Enma was prepared to abide by those terms anyway. He was prepared to do whatever it took to defeat her this time.

"My King, why not just return to the Netherworld and wage war?" asked Nozomu. "Take over their lands."

"I already have things in motion," Enma casually answered. "And what I have in my sights…are must bigger than just taking over the Netherworld from Isao and Shiori. No, what I have in store is much grander. She will suffer in Hell for all eternity, and this time…she won't escape. I have to stay here for all eternity, so do you. It's time I tied up all the loose ends. My vengeful plan is in action…"


	2. Third Generation Evil

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, just my O.C's**

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><p>"That's right; now line it up a little more. It's important to have good lining during archery," the priestess Kagome instructed. "Pull back on the draw string just a little more."<p>

She was in the middle of instructing a novice priestess how to correctly fire an arrow. They'd been practicing all afternoon. So far, the young girl hadn't managed to hit one target. But she listened and made the necessary improvements. She gently pulled back on the draw string of her bow.

"Extend your pointer finger," said Kagome. "It makes it easier to aim at your target."

She extended her index finger and carefully aimed at the bull's-eye just yards away from her. She timidly looked back to Kagome for more instruction. Kagome kindly smiled at the young woman.

"It's okay, you're doing just fine," she assured her. "Now gently release, but be sure to keep your focus on the target."

The girl nodded and gently released the bow. She watched as it travelled across the field and struck the target right on the mark. She squealed in excitement.

"I did it Lady Kagome!" she exclaimed. "I was beginning to think I'd never get the hang of this."

"Good job," Kagome praised. "Oh, don't worry. I wasn't very good when I first started out either. With more practice, I'm sure you'll do great."

"Do you really think so?" she asked with starry eyes.

Kagome laughed, "Of course, Rin. You're on your way to becoming a great priestess."

She smiled weakly, "I don't ever think I'll ever be as good as you, or Lady Kaede."

Kagome playfully punched the girl in her arm, "not with that attitude, silly!"

The two priestesses rounded up their equipment and began walking back to their village.

"Speaking of Kaede," said Kagome softly. "How is she doing? Has she gotten any better?"

Rin lowered her head, "She's still very sick. Some days, she doesn't even rise from bed. I'm starting to get worried. I'm afraid she won't make it through this winter."

Kagome sadly looked up into the sky. She knew Kaede's life was coming to an end, but she didn't want to believe it to be true. Ever since she permanently moved to feudal Japan 5 years ago, Kaede had been her mentor. She was the one who taught her everything she knew about being a Shinto priestess. If Kaede died, there'd be a huge void in Kagome's heart.

Rin too was very close to Kaede. After all, she looked after her for years. Kaede was like a grandmother to the girl. Rin was so inspired by the old woman, that she followed her profession and studied to become a priestess.

"So, where's Inuyasha today?" she asked, hoping to change the subject.

Kagome thought for a second, "I don't really know. I haven't seen him since this morning. I assume he's helping Miroku with more exorcisms….maybe?"

"He's not still swindling people, is he?"

"He wouldn't be Miroku if he didn't," laughed Kagome. "But at least he finally stopped his lecherous ways and settled down with Sango."

Rin nodded, "Speaking of Lady Sango, has Kohaku been by to see her lately?"

"Kohaku? No, we haven't seen him in a little over 2 years now. He must be extremely busy with all of his demon slayer training," she answered. "Not surprising, these areas are always swamped with dangerous demons. Why do you ask?"

"Oh…uh, no reason," said Rin a little flustered.

Kagome raised an eyebrow, but decided not to press it. They made it to the village and were now crossing over the foot bridge. Everyone happily greeted them as they walked through town. It was a nice feeling. Kagome and Rin passed by Miroku and Sango's hut, but no one was home.

"**Must be taking the children out for a walk," **thought Kagome.

"It's such a nice day," sang Rin feeling the gentle spring breeze.

Kagome nodded, "it sure is…oh, would you like to help me with some purification treatments later? I could really use the help."

"Of course Lady Kagome," Rin happily said. "Oh that reminds me, Lady Shiori is supposedly coming by. Today is the day she said she'd come."

"Really? That's great," said Kagome. "I haven't seen her in months. Is Sesshomaru coming as well?"

"I don't know, but I really hope so! It would be great to see them both!" She exclaimed**. "They haven't been visiting as frequently over the years….probably because I've grown older."**

As they walked to Kagome and Inuyasha's hut, they heard a loud commotion. They turned to see a group of villagers shouting in a closed circle. Some of them were even kicking and stopping. There was someone in the middle…but who? As they got closer, Rin realized the villagers were beating up on a young woman…..one of her own friends.

"Megumi? Stop it!" she screamed. "Get away from her right now!"

She pushed through the crowed and rushed to her fallen friend's side. The girl wasn't terribly injured. But she did have many bruises all over her body. Rin thought her heart was about to break.

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves!" Kagome scolded. "How dare you beat up on this poor defenseless girl?"

"But Lady Kagome," said one of the men. "She's not well in the head!"

"That girl is an evil spirit! She's speaking madness about curses and hexes again!" said another man. "She's up to something very vile!"

Kagome turned back to the girl. It was true; she did sense something strange about her. She'd seen the girl several times with Rin. They were childhood friends and studied together at the school for priestesses. Even though both Megumi and her mother were priestesses, the villagers never took too kindly with them. Something about the family seemed a bit off. Rumor had it that they were into dark purification techniques.

"That's still no excuse! Now all of you, on your way!" she angrily ordered.

Rin looked down at the battered woman, "Megumi, are you okay?"

The woman didn't respond right away. She only continued to motionlessly lie down on the ground. Her long dark hair concealed half her face. She never once showed any emotion, even as she was being beaten.

"This village," she said darkly. "It won't be here after today,"

"Uh…excuse me?" Rin asked. She didn't understand the girl. "What do you mean?"

Slowly, the girl sat up and stared at Rin. Her amber eyes hardened as she leaned in to whisper.

"Rin, leave this village while you still can. You still have time," she urged. "Today is the day….."

Before Rin could even respond, a woman came running towards them. She was similarly dressed to Kagome and Rin, except her hakama was dark blue. She pushed Rin aside and attended to Megumi.

"Megumi dear, are you alright? Who's done this to you?" she worriedly asked. She turned her attention to the two priestesses before her. "Was it you!"

Kagome shook her head firmly, "No, Lady Shizuka. It wasn't us! It was the villagers. We found them beating her here."

Shizuka seemed to ignore her as she helped her daughter to her feet, "I must attend to your injures."

Rin called out to them, "What those men did to you was terrible. I'm really sorry we couldn't come sooner, Megumi."

Shizuka stopped and peered over her shoulder. But she wasn't staring at Rin; she was looking directly at Kagome. Kagome felt the icy glare travel up and down her spine.

"You have yet to feel sorry," she hissed rising to her feet. She lined her bow with an arrow and aimed it at the women. "You filthy little wretches!"

"Rin!" shouted Kagome. "Get back!"

Kagome and Rin moved back as Shizuka fired an unholy arrow straight at them. Nearby villagers began scattering back inside their houses.

"Lady Kagome!" shouted Rin. "She's a dark a dark priestess!"

**"I knew there was something off about her!" **thought Kagome. **"She's a dark priestess. Just like Tsubaki was."**

Kagome pulled out her bow as well and fired at the evil priestess. Shizuka emitted a terrifying aura from her body that instantly destroyed Kagome's arrow. Shizuka smirked.

"Sorry, but you won't defeat me with your sacred powers, Kagome," she mocked. "My blood will not fall subjective to your spiritual powers once again."

"What are you talking about?" Kagome wondered. She still had an arrow pointed at her foe. "When did I ever fight you?"

"You didn't," she said. "It was my mother that fought against you. And she lost to your powers…..She lost to you and that half demon Inuyasha…."

Kagome took a closer look at the woman, "You…..are Tsubaki's daughter?"

"You can't tell by the uncanny resemblance?" Shizuka questioned. "Nearly 60 years ago, when my mother was a rising priestess…she was betrayed by her sensei. Instead of giving her the Shikon jewel to protect and purify, he gave the jewel to that wretched Kikyo."

"Kikyo?" whispered Kagome. It had been a long time since she heard that name.

"When Mother tried to steal it from her, she was defeated. After Kikyo died and the jewel disappeared from this world….my Mother struck a deal with a demon and sold her soul for power and beauty."

Kagome took a step back. She could already see where this was going.

"She then discovered that the Shikon jewel had returned, as well as a special person of interest," Shizuka eyed Kagome carefully. "You…the reincarnation of Kikyo. Naturally, she wanted revenge by taking your life. However, my mother made the mistake of underestimating you. A mistake that won't be repeated. I've been watching you for years….waiting for the right time to kill you."

Shizuka lined her bow with 3 arrows and released them all, "And I've finally found it!"

Kagome wrapped her arms around Rin and closed her eyes. The tainted arrows were closing in on them rapidly.

"Windscar!" cried a voice.

Shizuka's arrows were instantly destroyed an enormous energy blast. She herself would've been caught up in it had she not jumped back. Inuyasha jumped down in front of Kagome and Rin with his sword drawn.

"Inuyasha," sighed Kagome.

"Are you two okay?" he asked looking over his shoulder.

Kagome nodded, "we're okay."

"Wench! Just who do you think you are?" Inuyasha demanded to know. He recognized her as one of the women from the village. But he'd never seen her use any power until now.

"Inuyasha, that's Tsubaki's daughter," said Kagome quietly.

"What?" he gasped. "Tsubaki? That evil priestess we fought years ago? This is her daughter?"

"Yes and the girl over there is her granddaughter, though she hasn't joined in the fight," she said as she stared at Megumi from afar.

"That's right, we are in fact relatives of Tsubaki," taunted Shizuka. "And if you're finished with your discussion…..I'll take my revenge now!"

She shot more arrows at the group, but Inuyasha smacked them all away. Megumi watched as her mother fought against Inuyasha. She looked over at the fear in Kagome and Rin's eyes and almost seemed to feed on it.

**"Damn it….I can't use Meido Zangetsuha on her," **he thought. **"Even though she's wretched…..she's still just a pathetic human."**

Shizuka noticed Inuyasha's careful swings and laughed hysterically. She could tell that he was just holding back his power.

"I don't know why Mother ever had problems with you people," spat Shizuka. "You seem like such a soft bunch! You've had plenty of opportunities to defeat me, yet you refuse!"

"He may have qualms about killing humans," boomed a voice from behind Shizuka. "But I sure don't."

Shizuka spun around quickly. There was a woman standing directly behind her. Her icy glare bored into her soul. Shizuka's eyes widened with surprise.

"Lady Shiori!" cried Rin.

"And just who are you, wench?" Shizuka questioned.

"Interesting, I was just about to ask you the same thing. Those words exactly," Shiori tilted her head to the side and examined the dark priestess. "Where did you get such a nasty essence?"

**"This girl has a demonic and spiritual essence to her. Hmph, she's just another pathetic half demon." **Shizuka jumped back from Shiori and lined up her bow, "Die!"

"Watch out for her arrows Shiori!" warned Kagome, as she watched the arrow travel towards the girl. "She's using dark spiritual powers!"

But Shiori didn't seem to hear her, not that it mattered anyway. Shiori reached out and caught the arrow between her fingers. She gingerly twirled it in her hand. Shizuka stared in disbelief. Just who was she? She'd never expected any of this.

"I don't care how powerful you think you are little girl," she said as her hands started to glow. "You're still only a filthy half demon!"

A beam of energy manifested from her hands and shot towards Shiori. She held up her hand and fired her own blast at Shizuka. Her power overthrew the evil priestess and expelled her backwards. Megumi gasped as her mother went soaring backwards. As soon as Shizuka hit the ground, Shiori was already towering over her. She glared down at the battered woman.

"For the record, I am _not _a half demon," she said. "Now…get out of here."

"That's it, you're sparing my life?" she weakly asked. "Why? I thought you had no qualms about killing humans."

"Oh, I don't. But I've already stolen your dignity," Shiori responded. "I don't need your life as well. You're already finished."

"Who are you?"

Shiori turned to walk back to her friends, "no one of any importance."

Shizuka watched in anger as Shiori reunited with her group of friends. Megumi quickly rushed to her mother's side.

"Come Mother," she urged. "Let's go home. We can forget all about this."

But the rage in Shizuka's eyes hadn't subsided. She evilly glared at Shiori from afar.

"That hateful being," she hissed. "That accursed witch! She ruined everything I was working towards! I spent years preparing for this day, and she ruined everything!"

Megumi warily listened to her mother speak, "and what has she left me with? Nothing! She didn't even finish me off! She left me here with nothing at all! I've failed."

"Mother, I'm still here," said Megumi softly. "You still have me…."

Shizuka fixed her gaze on her daughter's face as she pulled out one of her arrows.

"That's right….." she said slowly. The pitch in her voice was elevating. "I still have you….and I'll need you to continue in my place."

"Mother, what are you talking about?" she questioned. She was alarmed by the arrow in her hand. "What are you doing?"

"Fulfill my duties, Megumi…..do what I and your grandmother could not,"

Shizuka transferred her energy into the arrow, and jabbed it into her neck. Megumi screamed as her mother's blood splattered all over her. Shiori and Inuyasha turned back around. Rin's eyes widened with terror at the gruesome sight.

"She committed suicide!" Kagome pointed out.

Inuyasha didn't know what to say. Shizuka killed herself in front of her own daughter….even after Shiori spared her life.

"Why…why did she do that?" asked Rin.

"Because she didn't want the life that I gave her," Shiori answered. "Her life became worthless when I defeated her. Sparring her life meant nothing to her."

**"But what's gonna happen to the girl?" **Inuyasha thought. **"It's gotta be rough, seeing your mother commit suicide."**

Megumi stared at her mother's lifeless body and slowly rose to her feet. She glared back at each and every one of them.

"This is all your fault!" she shrieked. "All of you!"

"Hey, your mother took her own life! We had nothing to do with that! Plus she was attacking us!" Inuyasha shot back.

She angrily shook her head as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks, "all your fault!"

Rin sadly looked at her former friend. There was nothing she could do to ease her pain and suffering.

Megumi turned to glare at Shiori, "and you especially…You'll be sorry!"

She ran off into the forest and ignored Rin's cries. Inuyasha, Shiori, and Kagome watched after her.

"I should go talk to her," said Rin sadly.

"There's nothing you can say, Rin," said Shiori solemnly as she walked over to Shizuka's body.

She could already see the soul pallbearers of the Netherworld all over her corpse. Shiori knelt down and prayed over Shizuka's damned soul.

"I just hope Megumi's okay," said Rin.

"Now then, will someone please explain to me what that was about?" asked Shiori. "Who was she?"

"She was the daughter of Tsubaki, an old enemy of ours," said Inuyasha. "We killed her in battle, and her daughter came to us for revenge."

"She was actually a villager here for years, but we had no idea who her mother was," Kagome added. "She'd been plotting her revenge on us for years...and today she set her plot in motion. But—"

"She didn't count on me," Shiori finished Kagome's thought.

Kagome nodded, "that's right."

"So I basically foiled her plans for you?" Shiori blandly asked

"Uh….well, yes,"

"And now her daughter wants me to kill me…"

Kagome blinked, "well, she wants to kill all of us…."

"But mostly you," said Inuyasha jumping in.

Shiori icily glared at Inuyasha. He took a few steps away from her.

"You don't need to worry though," Rin assured. "She's just a human. She can't harm you in anyway."

"**Yes I know…..but she had a desperate look in her eyes," **thought Shiori. **"And humans do stupid things when they become desperate…..Especially those as weak hearted as herself…"**

"Oh come on, Shiori! Tell me you're not scared of some human girl!" Inuyasha jeered. "This is priceless!"

"Funny, I could've sworn your life was owned by a human girl," said Shiori as she stroke her chin.

"Kagome does not own me!" he huffed.

"Whatever you say Inubaka," Shiori innocently said.

"I told you to stop calling me that!" he fussed.

"Yes, I know….hence why I keep doing it," she laughed.

Kagome tried to contain her laughter the entire time, but it was extremely hard.

"Lady Shiori, where's Lord Sesshomaru?" asked Rin. "Is he coming?"

"He'll be on his way momentarily. He's busy with….something," she answered. "I decided to come alone."

"Busy with something?" asked Kagome. "What could possibly be holding him up from seeing Rin?"

"He's…uh, meeting someone," said Shiori looking away.

"Who?"

"His mother," she flatly answered.

"His mother? I didn't know that bastard's mother was still alive," Inuyasha baffled.

"Oh trust me, she's very much alive," Shiori said. "Sesshomaru doesn't talk about her at all. And he only goes to see her for very important matters."

"Wait, why didn't you go?" Kagome inquired. "Wouldn't you want to see her?"

"Because I refuse to be the subject of that woman's criticism!" She fussed.

Rin giggled, "Lady Shiori isn't too fond of Lord Sesshomaru's mother."

A sweat ball dropped down Kagome's head, **"Oh brother. This sounds like a typically cliché relationship between a mother and mother-in-law. But with a twist…..both of them are demons, not just one!"**

The group headed inside of Inuyasha and Kagome's hut to wait for Sesshomaru's arrival. Shiori stood outside the door frame and looked out towards the forest. She was still feeling uneasy from her encounter with Megumi. What were the odds of something like that happening on the day she was visiting?

"**Something just doesn't feel right about this….I haven't been here in months, the timing for everything just seemed too….perfect,"**

"Are you coming in, Lady Shiori?" asked Rin. "We've got some catching up to do!"

"Oh, of course," said Shiori brushing off her feelings of discomfort.

She entered the hut with her friends.

…**..…..**

For hours, Megumi stumbled around through the forest. She left a trail of tears everywhere she went. She blindly plunged deeper into the woods and ignored the bitter cold of the night. Megumi finally collapsed on the forest floor and curled up into a little ball. She still had her mother's dried up blood splattered all over her, but she didn't care. She silently wept as she thought about her mother's unfair death.

**"I never wanted this….I never wanted any of it," **she thought. **"I hoped that after my mother got her revenge, she'd stop all this dark purification. I was hoping Mother would become normal…..it was all running so smoothly until she showed up. That woman!"**

Megumi started shivering as she felt an icy breeze, **"Because of her, I'm left completely alone….without a mother.."**

The icy wind began to pick up some more Megumi wrapped her arms around herself and tried to stay warm. She felt like she was inside of an icy tornado.

"Megumi…." Whispered an ominous voice. "Megumi…."

She sat up and looked around, "wh-who's there? Who is it?"

A smiling man materialized right in front of her. He looked down at the terrified girl.

"Who are you?" Megumi shivered.

"I am King Enma," he proclaimed. "Ruler of Hell…."

"Hell?"

"I know what happened to you today. You lost your mother, didn't you?" he questioned.

Megumi nodded slowly. She was too afraid to even speak.

"And who killed her?"

"She…killed herself after she was defeated by a woman. My friend called her, Lady Shiori," Megumi answered.

"Right you are," he said. "If it weren't for her, your mother's plans would've gone according to. But that woman swooped in and destroyed everything."

"She messed everything up…."

Enma smirked, "Megumi, we have something in common….."

"We do?"

"Yes, we do," he said. "You see, we share a common enemy. And both of our lives were ruined by said common enemy."

Megumi's eyes widened. She could feel her heard racing.

"Why not simply kill her and get your revenge?"

"But I'm not strong enough to beat her," said Megumi sadly. "She defeated Mother in a matter of seconds. There's no way I could kill her.

"Then let's work together and destroy that nuisance once and for all," he darkly offered.

"You…really think we can stop her?"

He smirked, "My dear, I am the ruler of Hell. I can do many things. However, you must do something for me first."

"What's that?" she asked him.

"You must do as your Grandmother did before you," he stated. "Give me your soul…."

"My…my soul?" she baffled.

"Yes," he nodded. "I will give you power beyond your imagination…..but in exchange, I want ownership of your soul. Ownership that will come into play…once you die. You do want to honor your mother's dying wishes and fulfill her duties?"

Megumi carefully thought over the proposition. So what if she went to Hell? Her grandmother and mother were already there. At least she could be with them.

"I accept your offer King Enma," she answered.

"Excellent," a wicked grin spread across the king's face. "This young fool will be my tool to destroying Shiori….."


	3. The 1000 Soul Debt

**Hooyah Readers! I've returned from my naval basic training! I actually finished about 2 weeks ago...But I didn't forget about any of you! So...here's chapter 3! As before, I own nothing but my oc characters :D**

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><p><em>"Hell has awaited you," said several deathly voices in unison.<em>

_Shiori screamed as she felt her body being set on fire. Her heart quivered when she saw the faces of Hell's demons swarming around. Shiori tried to lash at them over and over again, but they restrained her back._

_"This is all you'll know for all eternity."_

_"No!" she cried. "I refuse to stay here!"_

_"From now on you'll feel nothing put pain, agony, and sorrow," it taunted. "This is what you deserve."_

_"No!" she yelled as she burst through the entrapped flames._

_Shiori felt painful jabs on every inch of her body. She cried out in pain to the point where she thought she was going horse. She couldn't take the intense agony. Images of her dead comrades bodies were plastered all over her mind. She could do nothing but scream._

_"Your suffering is just beginning….." said a haunting voice. "This…is….Hell!"_

"Lady Shiori," called Rin as she shook the sleeping princess. "Lady Shiori, wake up!"

Shiori's eyes instantly shot open and she found herself looking into Rin's worried eyes. She was lying down on the floor in the middle of Rin and Kaede's hut.

"Are you alright?" asked Rin. "You were stirring around in your sleep. I didn't want to wake you. I know you hardly get the chance to sleep, but I was concerned."

Shiori examined the young girl, and then looked over to Kaede who was propped up in a corner. Everything seemed to be in proper setting. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

She sat herself up, "no need to worry. I'm perfectly fine. Just having an unpleasant dream I suppose."

"About what?" Rin asked.

Shiori shrugged, "I don't remember."

Rin frowned. She could tell Shiori was hiding something from her, but she knew it was useless to pursue her. Getting information out of Shiori wasn't an easy task if she was unwilling to comply.

"**I can't believe I had it again," **thought Shiori. **"It's been years since my damnation, and yet…..I'm still haunted by it as though it happened yesterday."**

Ever since Shiori was dragged to Hell after defeating the last Lord of the Netherworld, she'd been having terrible nightmares. She would often wake up shaking in cold sweat. Fortunately for her, her body didn't require sleep as often as a human's. However, when Shiori did need to sleep, she deeply dreaded it. So as not to worry anyone, she kept her night time terrors a secret. Not even Sesshomaru knew about them…she made sure of that.

"Has Sesshomaru been by yet?" Shiori asked.

"No, the Lord hasn't been here," Rin answered. "I'm sure he's on his way."

"That hellhound!" Shiori snapped. "Why must he always keep me waiting? What on Earth could be taking him so long to get here?"

"It hasn't been that long," Rin responded. "He's kept us waiting for much longer before. Especially when we all use to travel together, remember?"

Shiori shook her head, "He's never been this late before!"

"But Lady Shiori," said Rin. "It's only been a day."

Shiori stared over at the young priestess and cocked her head to the side.

"It's only been a day?"

Rin nodded.

"That's odd," said Shiori as she rubbed her chin. "It feels like it's been months since I've last seen him."

"Well, waiting for the Lord can often feel that way," Rin said with a slight giggle. "Where did you say he was again?"

"Visiting with his Mother," Shiori bleakly answered.

"Ah yes, I remember her castle in the sky," said Rin as she stared toward the ceiling. "It was such a lovely palace. What did he go to visit her for? I thought he didn't like her very much."

"She sent for him to come see her—without me," Shiori replied. "Jaken was allowed to accompany him, but I wasn't."

"I wonder why you weren't invited,"

Shiori crossed her arms, "It's not like I wanted to be in her presence anyway. She aggravates my soul in so many ways."

Rin giggled at Shiori's frustration, much to Shiori's dismay. It reminded her of something Emi would do.

"Same old issues, they never seem to change," coughed Kaede.

The old woman had been so quiet, that both girls nearly forgot she was in the hut. She was still silently propped against a wall in the corner. She often sat that way, even though Rin preferred for her to lie down. Kaede closed her eyes as she went into a slight coughing fit.

"Lady Kaede!" cried Rin as she rushed to her side. "Are you alright? Do you need more herbs?"

The aging priestess just held up her hand, "I'm fine, child. Don't you worry about me. It's just a cough."

But it wasn't just a cough. Kaede had been sick for a very long time. She grew sicker as the days flew by. Shiori sadly watched the fragile old woman. She knew Kaede didn't have much longer left. She felt her spirit growing weaker.

"**I doubt she'll make it through the winter," **she thought. **"And the autumn season is nearly upon us."**

She averted her attention to Rin, who was still attending to Kaede.

"**How will she react to Kaede's death?"**

Rin was an orphan when Sesshomaru and Shiori found her. Her entire family was brutally murdered by bandits right in front of her. So naturally, the girl's spirit was slightly battered by that experience. It's not something a person easily forgets. Because of that, Rin did everything she could to help those she cared about. She didn't want to see anyone else die. Even so, she herself knew that Kaede's time was coming soon. She just didn't want to believe it.

To Shiori, Kaede wasn't old at all. She'd only been living for 76 years, yet her life was nearly coming an end. Shiori herself had lived for several centuries, but didn't look older than 16. Time was everything to humans. They aged much faster than demons; everyone knew this. Even though Shiori had been living longer, physically, Kaede was older. For this reason, Shiori respected Kaede as her elder.

Shiori continued to watch Rin as she cared for her mentor. It pained her to know that Rin would someday share the same fate as Kaede. It seemed like just yesterday the two of them were walking through the meadows hand in hand. Rin's head barely came up to Shiori's waist. Now, Rin was slightly taller than Shiori and physically they were now the same age. Rin managed to catch up to Shiori in less than a decade. If she kept aging like that, it wouldn't be long until she too was old and sickly like Kaede.

"Lady Shiori? Are you sure you're alright?" said Rin, breaking Shiori's conversation. "You keep spacing out. Are you trying to remember the dream you had?"

"No, I'm fine. Just feeling a bit….overwhelmed is all." She paused. "If anything, I should be asking about your well being. Especially after what happened with your friend the other day."

Rin stared down into her lap, "Well, Megumi wasn't exactly my friend. I tried to befriend her, but she was always so…quiet and distant. Both she and her mother were like that. They just stayed away from everyone."

"I should've known from the start that there was something evil about those two," muttered Kaede. "I can't believe we let Kin of Tsubaki into our village."

"I'm really sorry about what happened," Rin apologized to Shiori.

"About what?"

"About Megumi swearing revenge on your soul," Rin answered, slightly confused. Had she forgotten about that part already?

"Ah yes, that's right," Shiori nodded.

She was so wrapped up in other thoughts that she'd forgotten all about Megumi's declaration for revenge. Shiori was a bit concerned about Megumi. Although she was just a human, it was obvious that the girl wasn't completely stable. Both her eyes and spirit were filled with desperation. A person like that, be they demon or human, is very dangerous. Shiori didn't know just how low Megumi was willing to stoop to kill her.

"Maybe its best that I leave," said Shiori. "Even though she's declared war on us all, it's mostly me she's after. I'd prefer that she track me while I'm away from the village."

Rin's eyes widened, "But My Lady, Don't you want to wait for Lord Sesshomaru to get here?"

"That hellhound of mine has kept me waiting long e—" she paused and looked towards the door of the hut. "Speak of the Devil."

"Sesshomaru's arrived?" asked Kaede.

"Arriving", I sense him getting closer," Shiori responded. "Before he arrives, I must ask the both of you something."

"What's that?" asked Rin.

"Please don't tell Sesshomaru about that incident," Shiori said. "I'd rather he'd not know about it."

"Why not?"

She looked away, "I don't want him to think that every time we're not together, something bad will happen to me."

"But Lady Shiori, isn't that true?" asked Rin. "Don't you always get into dangerous situations when Lord Sesshomaru isn't around?"

"I'll have you know, that I've gotten into several dangerous situations while Sesshomaru was present!" Shiori snapped.

About a few minutes later, a loud thud followed by hefty groan was heard outside. It seemed that Sesshomaru had once again used Jaken as cushioning for his feet while landing. The door suddenly slid open and in walked Sesshomaru. Jaken dizzily stumbled in after him.

"My Lord, must you step on me so hard?" he asked before toppling over. **"I don't know how I lasted all these centuries…"**

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin exclaimed as she stood up before him. "And Master Jaken! I'm so glad you're finally here."

"Rin," said Sesshomaru casually. "I trust you've fared well?"

She nodded, "Yes! I have my Lord!"

"And your attire," he said while glancing over Rin's priestess robes. "Interesting path you've chosen to follow."

He hadn't seen Rin since she started her training as a shrine maiden. But he wasn't surprised by her decision to become a priestess. Rin was, after all, constantly surrounded by them.

"Yet another priestess in the pack," Jaken commented. "There's so many of them around here!"

Sesshomaru could feel Shiori's death glare burning into the back of his head. He finally turned around to face her.

"Why do you give me such a look?" he calmly asked.

"My Lord, you're a bit late," she said with a stern expression. "You were supposed to be here the previous day."

"How dare you try to rush Lord Sesshomaru while he's taking care of his personal affairs?" Jaken screeched.

Shiori ignored Jaken and focused only on Sesshomaru, "What took you so long?"

"I must talk to you outside," he said heading for the exit.

Rin watched him go, "wow, that was his shortest visit yet."

"I wonder what he has to talk to you about," Kaede pondered.

Shiori sighed heavily, "I don't."

"Why not, Child?"

"Because, whatever it is, it's bad news," she answered. "I can tell by his expression."

"I'm confused," said Kaede. "Is that not the same expression he has all the time?"

"If you're around him long enough, you learn to spot the differences between his facial expressions," said Shiori as she rose to her feet.

She stepped outside where she found Sesshomaru waiting for her. He watched her carefully as she walked towards him.

"Shiori," he said softly.

"Yes?"

"Did anything unusual happen to you while I was gone?" he asked.

"No, My Lord," she lied. "Nothing of the sort. Everything's been pretty normal."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

Shiori tried to avoid looking into those skeptical, amber eyes. He didn't believe her at all. Sesshomaru had a way of always knowing when Shiori was trying to hide something from him. He knew she was lying about something. But what was she supposed to tell him? That she somehow got herself involved with the death of a dark priestess….and that said priestess daughter was after her life? Shiori felt it would be better not to involve Sesshomaru with her problem with Megumi because she knew it'd upset him. She didn't like the idea of lying to her mate, but she didn't want to upset him with "unnecessary" aspects of life either.

"**I'll handle this matter on my own time," **she thought.

Sesshomaru said nothing as he continued to stare her down.

"I can assure you, nothing happened," she finally said. "Everything's fine."

"Everything is most certainly not fine," he responded. "Tell me, when is the last time you had any communication with your Father?"

Shiori thought for a moment, "I believe he contacted me a few weeks ago. Why do you ask?"

"Something has happened to the Meido stone," he told her.

"The Meido stone? You mean the very one your Mother carries in her possession?"

He nodded, "While I was visiting with her, it suddenly let out a dark energy. The emitted energy quickly dispersed and the stone went completely black. It wouldn't work all after that."

"It just stopped working?" she asked. **"What could've caused such a thing?"**

"She said that the dark energy manifesting from the stone was directly from Hell," said Sesshomaru.

Shiori felt her heart freeze. She could tell by the look on Sesshomaru's face that they were on the same page.

"Hell's entrances are somehow being sealed," said Shiori. "The only one with the power to do that is….."

"The Grandmaster of Hell," Sesshomaru finished.

Shiori nodded, "King Enma himself. But why? He's been quiet for all these years….why is he acting now. Or better yet, what exactly is he up to?"

"And you're sure you had no strange encounters?" Sesshomaru asked her. "Nothing out of the ordinary that would be connected to him?"

"No Sesshomaru," said Shiori, slightly irritated. Why wouldn't he just believe her!

Suddenly, a piercing scream came from within the hut. Both Sesshomaru and Shiori dashed inside with no time to spare. Rin was being pinned down on the floor by a shadow demon. Shiori, naturally, was the only one who could see it.

"Sesshomaru!" she cried as she pointed toward the demon.

But he was a step ahead of her. He already had his Tenseiga drawn and ready. With one swing, he slashed at the exact spot Shiori pointed out to him. The demon hackled as its body was sliced by the blade.

"Has it gone?" he asked.

Shiori looked over at Rin, who was staring up at her with coal black eyes.

"I'm afraid not," she quietly answered.

Rin sat up smirked at Shiori. Her body reeked of evil demonic power.

"Release her, by order of the Netherworld!" Shiori commanded.

"Dear Angel, you have no jurisdiction over me," laughed the possessed girl. "I'm not from your lands…I'm from the lands of the damn."

"Even so, release her from your grasp. Or I'll purify your pitiful soul," she threatened.

He snickered, "of course I….but first, I have a message for you."

"From your King I presume," she spat.

"Indeed," said the demon. "He wants to you to know that he has you in his sights, and that he's coming for you."

"Does he know?" scoffed Sesshomaru.

"Yes," the demon said with an evil laugh. "And he has special plans for your Lady, Sesshomaru. It's her soul he's after. He seeks to claim it and will stop at nothing to obtain it."

"Unless he desires instant death," said Sesshomaru casually stepping in between the demon and Shiori. "He'll do nothing of the sort."

"Well it isn't just her soul, you see," the creature explained. "He requires yours as well."

Shiori's eyes quickly widened, "No, we had an agreement. Enma said he'd leave Sesshomaru alone if I defeated him in battle."

"Did you truly expect for him to stay true to his word?"

Shiori clenched her fist as she heavily sighed. The demon had a point.

"The King also wants the soul of this human girl…"

"He's after Rin as well?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Yes, King Enma is still angered about the stir the three of you caused in Hell….8 years ago. 1000 souls escaped Hell that day when Sesshomaru freed them with Tenseiga. One doesn't just easily forget about something like that. He requires those souls to be replaced."

"But he's just making the same demands as before then," said Shiori. "We already had this settled! It's been years. I'm sure he's gained 10 times as many souls already. Souls are sent to Hell every moment of the day."

"It's not corrupted souls the King is after," said the creature darkly. "He wants 1000 live innocent souls."

"What?" Shiori gasped.

"The dying screams of the innocents are much more pleasing to the ear than the screams of the tainted," said the demon with an evil hackle.

"I refuse to let that happen," she snapped.

"How do you know it's not already happening?" it responded.

Suddenly, she sensed a shift in Rin's body. It didn't take her long to realize that the creature was attempting to eject her soul. Immediately, Shiori embraced Rin's body and purified it. She could hear the demons soul crying out in pain as his energy faded away.

"Just remember dear Princess…..1000 innocent souls. And those souls are in addition to the 3 of yours. Of course, your soul holds more value to him than anything. If I were you, I'd just surrender my own soul to keep my loved ones safe. If not….1000 of your loved ones will suffer."

"I've defeated him once," she said with confidence. "I'll do it again."

"Things are different now, Princess. The rules and players of the game have changed. You don't even know what you're up against this time. Action has already been set in the underworld."

"What's happening in the Netherworld?" she demanded to know.

"You'll soon find out….."

With that, the demon faded away completely. Rin's head collapsed into Shiori's shoulder. She felt the young girl's body shaking with fear…

"L-Lady Shiori….." Rin stammered.

"I know," said Shiori soothingly.

Sesshomaru stood over them both silently watching them.

"**I have to stop this now," **thought Shiori. **"Before things get way out of hand. His negative energy has already effected the Meido Stone... **"

She would do her best to keep both Sesshomaru and Rin safe from King Enma. Even though Sesshomaru would probably protest, she had to go to the Netherworld. She figured that she could take Enma head on without getting anyone else involved. But there was always the possibility that he might drag her into Hell with him. And at that moment, images of her encounter in Hell flooded her mind. She her hardest not to think about the experience, but it was useless. She couldn't focus on anything else. Though she wouldn't say it out loud…..she was terrified of being sent back to Hell.


	4. The Sealed Pathway

**I own nothing but my OC's**

* * *

><p>"It's alright Rin,"<p>

Shiori was still holding onto the girl long after the demon left her body. Rin was too shaken up to even speak. She stared vaguely at the wall as she leaned against Shiori's shoulder. Shiori pulled out a small rosary from the sleeve of her kimono and slipped it onto Rin's wrist. She was in such a daze, that she didn't even seem to notice.

**"I suppose now's as good a time as any to use this," **thought Shiori. **"I don't know how much protection this will offer her, but its better then nothing."**

Kaede stared at the rosary bracelet around Rin's wrist, but said nothing.

"It's over now," Shiori said as an effort to comfort Rin.

"Yes, but for how long?" Sesshomaru asked. "He intends to strike again."

"I just don't understand why my father didn't warn me ahead of time about this," said Shiori. "Surely he must've sensed something. I haven't even seen him in specter form"

"That's why I asked when you last spoke to him," said Sesshomaru. "It's possible that he's being affected by the same force used to seal the meido stone."

Shiori looked up at him, **"Inuyasha's meidos are probably sealed as well….but he probably hasn't even noticed yet."**

She released Rin and calmly stood up. Just as she turned to say something to Sesshomaru, he firmly shut her down.

"No," he said.

She angrily glared at the demon lord, "you don't even know what I'm going to say!"

"I know exactly what you're going to say. It's written all over your face," he told her. "You want to travel to the Netherworld. And the answer is no."

"I'm not asking for your permission, my dear Lord, I'm telling you," she said tartly. "I am _going_ to the Netherworld."

His amber eyes silently seared with anger, "Oh, no you're not. You will remain in the physical world."

"How do you expect me to take care of this by staying here?" she asked him. "I need to go, Sesshomaru! I haven't been in touch with anyone from my lands and I don't know what's going on. For all I know, King Enma could've taken over….my Father could be dead."

"It is most likely a trap, Shiori,"

She moved closer to the door, "I know that….even so; this is still my issue that I need to deal with."

"This isn't just about you. He's after all 3 of us," Sesshomaru replied as he folded his arms. "Or have you forgotten that part?"

"How could I? I heard what the demon said. It sickens me to know that both your life and Rin's has been endangered….so I'll deal with it,"

Shiori was quickly becoming frustrated with Sesshomaru. Why was he trying to restrict her like this?

"If you must go, then I'm coming with you," he decided.

"No, you have to stay here and protect Rin. I'll go to the Netherworld and figure out what's going on. If I need to….I'll confront King Enma in Hell."

Something in Sesshomaru changed the moment she finished speaking. His eyes hardened as he silently gazed at the girl. Shiori felt a stir of angry emotion rise in Sesshomaru's heart, yet his face was as still as ever.

"Why must you always try to take on the world alone, Shiori?" He hissed. "Must you be so stubborn? Stop behaving like such an ignorant fool!"

The room fell silent. Rin, Jaken, and Kaede all looked to Shiori to see how the girl would react. Not once did Shiori's fiery expression change as her eyes burned into Sesshomaru's. The two of them continued to stare each other down. It was as if they were having a mental showdown.

**"Ack….the tension is so thick in this room, I could slice it with a sword," **thought Jaken as he sunk down. **"I hate it when they have arguments!"**

Rin was also bothered by the intense situation. She awkwardly began playing with the sleeve of her kimono. She curiously examined her new accessory. When had that gotten there? Kaede just simply watched the scene from the back corner. It was the most entertainment she'd had in awhile.

Finally, Shiori made her exit from the hut. She gracefully stormed pass Sesshomaru without even looking at him. He turned to watch her leave. Sesshomaru could smell her scent rapidly moving away from the village—she was flying. When he turned back around, Rin was standing directly in front of him.

"Lord Sesshomaru," she said, as her large brown eyes widened. "Are you going to go after her?"

"Hmph," Sesshomaru scoffed. "Ridiculous."

Rin stared at the demon lord with confusion, "so….is that a yes?"

Sesshomaru stared at Rin for a second, and then turned to leave as well. Jaken jumped up to follow him, but was immediately shut down.

"Jaken, stay here and protect Rin," Sesshomaru ordered. "If anything else happens to her, I'll kill you."

The imp's face dropped, "Y-yes, Milord."

"Travel safely!" Rin called after Sesshomaru.

Jaken waited for Sesshomaru to leave before angrily plopping down and crossing his arms. Rin laughed as she looked down at the green imp.

"Isn't this funny, Master Jaken?" she sang. "It's just like old times. You're here protecting me while Lord Sesshomaru goes off on a journey. He even threatened to kill you, just like he always use to. Such good times!"

Jaken eyeballed Rin, "I don't like your definition of a goodtime at all!"

"Little demon," said Kaede weakly. "Please stop your yelling. You're giving me a headache."

"My name is Jaken! It's not hard to remember!" He shrieked. "Why doesn't anyone ever give me the respect I deserve?"

Rin blinked twice, "Lady Shiori says it's because you're an insignificant toad-like creature, which reeks of the smell of a thousand buttocks, that haven't been washed for centuries."

"Oooh, that evil little she-devil!" Jaken fussed. "I hope Lord Sesshomaru gives her a piece of his mind!"

"I'm sure he will," said Rin. "But…I don't it'll be anything like you're hinting at."

"None of this would've happened if Lord Sesshomaru had just gotten rid of that wench years ago," Jaken complained. "He could've done so much better!"

Rin covered her mouth in shock, "Master Jaken, how can you say that? Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Shiori were destined for each other. I always knew that. They complete each other's souls!"

Jaken gave her a perturb look, "You're completely delusional!"

**"But they truly are an interesting pair," **thought Kaede.

…**..**

Shiori quietly sat in the middle of her favorite meadow. Her hands were neatly folded into her lap as she stared into the horizon. As usual, she had a lot of issues to address. However, she couldn't seem to focus on anything but what Sesshomaru said to her.

**"That Hellhound and his accursed double standards!" **she thought to herself. **"He never listens to anything I say and yet I'm the one who's the 'ignorant fool'? He never accepts help from anyone, and yet I'm the one who's 'trying to take on the world?' Unbelievable!"**

Shiori tried not to think about Sesshomaru, but she couldn't help herself….and that angered her even more. She couldn't stop cursing him in her head!

**"Why is he so concerned about me going back to the Netherworld? This isn't the first time I've gone there during times of danger…it's no different. King Enma must be stopped."**

She quietly looked down at the thought of fighting King Enma. She didn't want to face him in the Netherworld again. That realm was far too close to the boarders of Hell. Enma could easily claim her soul. Shiori thought about the nightmare she had earlier that day. Those images were always on the back of her mind…..permanently. She couldn't be dragged to Hell—not again. But she knew if something wasn't done soon, terrible things would happen. She refused to let any harm come to her loved ones. Especially her beloved demon lord…..no matter how much he acted like a hellhound.

Shiori wrinkled her nose as she felt that all too familiar presence coming up upon her.

**"Can he sense whenever I'm talking or thinking about him? How disturbing!"**

Sesshomaru was now directly behind Shiori, but she didn't turn to look at him. She kept staring straight ahead…hoping he'd go away. Naturally, he didn't leave…much to Shiori's dismay. Just then, Shiori felt something on her shoulder. She turned to find a lily rubbing against her. She finally turned around to face Sesshomaru, who was holding the flower gingerly in his hand.

"Peace offering?" she asked with a smirk.

He didn't seem to want to respond. Shiori took the flower from Sesshomaru and examined it. It was the exact same color as her eyes. Was that the reason Sesshomaru picked it? Though Sesshomaru had come a long way when it came to emotions, he still had too much pride to apologize to anyone. Instead, he would often do little gestures for Shiori as a way of making up. Shiori smiled as she rolled her eyes.

**"Ridiculous," **

"My intention was not to hurt your feelings," he said suddenly and calmly.

Suddenly, the smiled disappeared from her face.

"It's going to take more than a few harsh words for that to happen," she said to him. "I may have grown softer over the years, but I'm not _that _soft. You didn't hurt my feelings."

"So you're not upset in anyway shape or form?" he casually asked.

"No, of course not. I am perfectly fine," she said as she crossed her arms.

"Then why did you tie your hair up?" he asked. "You have the strangest habit of tying up your hair whenever you're mad at me."

"Because you prefer it down!" she snapped at him.

"So you are mad at me then," he mused.

"I will admit…..I'm a little upset with you right now," she explained. "But that's all."

"Even so, that wasn't my intention," he told her. "I won't lose you."

"Lose me?" she stared at him in bewilderment. "I've already tried to leave you once, and that didn't work out exactly how I planned."

Shiori recalled the very first time she traveled into the Netherworld to kill its evil rulers. She permanently left Sesshomaru and Rin to fight in the Netherworld. Sesshomaru didn't take it well at all. She remembered how he came after her, rescuing her from death just in time. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever think he'd come to her aid.

"No," he said breaking into her thoughts. "You think I've never noticed the way you violently shift in your sleep?"

She fell silent as he continued speaking, "Or the way you tense up whenever someone mentions anything Hell related?"

She tried to hide the shock from her face, "so what?"

"I know you're still tormented by what happened to you," he said.

She rose to her feet, "that maybe so, but I still have to face King Enma."

"But you don't want to,"

"I'll always have to do things I don't want to," she responded. "It's a part of my duty."

"You just don't understand do you?" he asked.

It was then that Shiori sensed another surge of emotion from him. It wasn't very often that Shiori picked up on Sesshomaru's personal emotions. Especially those specifically directed towards her. Sesshomaru taught himself how to block out certain emotions so Shiori couldn't sense them. However, sometimes he'd allow her to feel them. Although they were mates now, he still kept his emotions blocked for the most part. He didn't want her rummaging through his feelings and emotions.

"You have no idea what it was like for me to watch you be taken to Hell," he said coolly. "Knowing that there was nothing I could do to stop it. I stood outside the gates of Hell for what seemed like an eternity…..trying to get inside. I didn't know if you'd ever return."

Shiori wanted to say something, but couldn't quite find the words to say.

"I will not experience that again, and neither will you," he continued. "I won't lose you—not this time."

**"He knew about the dreams I've been having. He was just trying to keep me safe," **thought Shiori as she gazed into Sesshomaru's eyes. **"…..that's still no excuse for him to behave like such a hellhound, but I suppose he can't help it. He's being sweet in his own apathetic, aloof way."**

"If you still intend to go to the Netherworld, I'm coming with you as well," he told her. "There's no way you're going there alone."

"Very well," she said. "If you insist…."

His mind was made up about going with her. After everything he just told her, she wondered if he'd ever let her travel to the Netherworld alone again. Every time she went, Sesshomaru would always worry about her. Of course, the demon lord would never admit this to anyone.

Shiori held out her hands in front of her and prepared to create the portal. Over the years, she developed greater control over her portals. She could now control the sizes of them. Instead of having an enormous vortex in the sky, she condensed. It was much easier that way and they didn't attract as much attention.

"Something's wrong," she said after a few minutes of trying. "It won't open."

Sesshomaru didn't seem surprised, "the same force that's stopping the meidos, I presume."

"That can't be," she said, with slight panic in her voice, "Enma doesn't have that power. He reigns over Hell and my portals only connect to the Netherworld. This is much worse than I thought."

Shiori worriedly looked to Sesshomaru. What was going on? How did King Enma manage to block her from getting to her kingdom? That was impossible.

"There has to be another entrance, right?" she asked him. "What about the passageway you and Jaken took? The one Kagura showed to you?"

"That way can only be used once," he informed her.

"I don't understand…" she began to explain. "How is it possible that Enma's blocking me from entering the Netherworld? Even if he's gained control of my lands, it still shouldn't be possible because his power wouldn't extend that far. It takes a tremendous amount of power to seal a portal. So he shouldn't be able block me while I'm in the land of the living….At least, not alone.,"

"What do you mean by that?"

She looked over her shoulder, "Someone, from this realm, is helping King Enma conspire against us. This particular person is sealing the entrances from this side, while King Enma finishes the process by sealing them from his realm. It would take two people to complete this process."

"Who could be responsible for blocking you like this?" asked Sesshomaru. "Is there anyone that comes to mind?"

"I really wish I knew who it could be," she confessed. "I honestly can't think of anyone at all, and that troubles me. I need answers now!"

"Come on," he said walking away. "We're going."

"Where?" she curiously asked as she followed after him.

"You require answers, correct? I know of someone who can be of assistance," he simply stated. "Hopefully she may give you the answers you seek."

**"She?" **thought Shiori. **"Just who is this 'she'?"**

…**..**

Megumi solemnly walked through the heart of a forest. Her long disheveled hair trailed in the wind behind her. She paid no attention to dark shadows from the high trees. In fact, she liked the darkness. It comforted her in a way. She closed her eyes as she began to sing.

_"Let me pass, Let me pass_

_ Here is the underworld's narrow pathway._

_ It is the narrow pathway of the demon's shrine._

_ Please allow me to pass through, _

_ Those without a sacrifice shall not pass."_

"For a priestess, you sure are morbid," boomed a voice from ahead of her.

Enma's form appeared just beyond her standing on the pathway. She smiled when she saw him.

"King Enma darling," she sang. "You're here again! I've done as you've asked. Shiori won't be able to return to the Netherworld."

"Well done, my dear. You truly are my own angel of darkness," he praised.

She beamed with happiness at his words. She was his angel of darkness—not Shiori. The thought of taking anything away from Shiori, even a simple title, excited Megumi. She felt very pleased with her work. Ever since she sold herself to Enma and accepted her knew found power, she felt better than ever.

"I have another job for you girl," he told her. "Do you think you can handle it?"

She nodded, "Yes my King, I can. I can handle anything. What is it you desire?"

"I need you to kill someone for me….."

"Shiori?" Megumi eagerly asked.

"Patience my dear, we're not claiming her life just yet," he said with a dark smile.

Megumi sighed with heavy disappointment, "Then who my King? Who shall I slay for you?"

"I want you to kill the priestess Rin,"

Megumi stared at the man with complete disbelief. An evil grin played across his face.

"What's the matter, Megumi? Do you have a problem with killing the girl? She is, after all, one of the people I've marked for death. You already knew that."

**"He wants me to kill Rin?" **thought Megumi. **"But…I can't kill her. She's the only one who's ever attempted to show me kindness. I can't…..can I?"**

"If you'll refuse to do it, I'll simply have to call on someone else," he said to her. "This is most disappointing. You were well on your way to becoming my favorite minion."

"I….I was?" she asked.

"Yes, I was most impressed with your work," he told her. "But, I wouldn't want you to do anything you're against. It's completely alright if you can't do it."

Her eyes widened, "no! I can do it, my King! I can kill her!"

"You're sure about that?"

"Absolutely," she nodded.

"Very well," he smiled with satisfaction. "Go forth and kill the priestess. And while you're at it, kill everyone in the village that's marked for death, except for Sesshomaru and Shiori. And my sources say they're not around."

"I will," she said with a bow. "I promise…."

Megumi turned to leave him.

"Oh, and Megumi," called out King Enma.

She stopped, "Yes?"

"Be smart about it," he warned.

"I will," she nodded. "I will."

* * *

><p><strong>The song that Megumi sings is an old Japanese folk song <strong>Toryanse. I was researching different Japanese folk songs and thought this one fit. Lol apparently it's been used in many different anime. But anyway, hope everyone likes the story so far. We're seeing a lot more of Shiori's relationship with Sesshomaru this time around ;)<strong>**


	5. Nekuma's Sealed Cave

**I don't own nothing but my OC's**

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><p>"Will you please tell me who we're looking for?" asked Shiori. "This suspense is eating away at my soul."<p>

She and Sesshomaru were soundly walking towards the mouth of a large cave. Sesshomaru remained silent for most of the journey, refusing to answer any of Shiori's questions. He only said they were going to find someone with answers. This particular "someone" lived in the cave ahead. Shiori could sense a strange presence deep within the cave. It definitely wasn't human. She sensed several other presences as well…which brought up the question of why Sesshomaru didn't inform her on where they were headed.

"We're going inside," he told her, as they reached the cave entrance. He just continued on through without stopping. "You will not like what you'll find in there."

**"Why is that?" **she wondered.

Shiori followed after as she tried to make sense of the presences she sensed. Something about them deeply disturbed her. Sesshomaru took note of her disappointment.

"Don't be afraid," he told her.

It was more of an order than a comforting statement. Shiori rolled her eyes.

"Why would I be…"

She paused when she felt something furry move swiftly across her feet.

"Afraid?" She looked down. **"What the Hell was that?"**

She checked to see if it was Sesshomaru's fur pelt that dragged across her. Unfortunately, the fuzzy boa was not the culprit. Shiori quickly learned that something else was responsible. She heard a low purring sound coming from her right. She watched as a black cat emerged from the shadows.

**"Disgusting little vermin!" **she thought. She tried not to make eye contact with the creature as she walked pass it. Even so, Shiori still felt its evil feline glare burning in the back of her skull!

**"He assumed I'd be afraid because of this pussy foot? Ridiculous! It's just one little feline,"**

At that moment, the cave began to echo with a series of purrs. More and more cats began springing from the shadows; there had to be at least 2 dozen—all of them black. It was as if they heard Shiori's thoughts. All of them fixed their gazes at the pair as they journeyed deeper into the cave. Shiori gave Sesshomaru, who was conveniently looking away from her, a deathly glare.

"Care to explain why we're in the middle of a cat orgy?" she demanded to know.

Though she didn't realize it, she was subconsciously walking unusually close to Sesshomaru. He, of course, noticed but didn't bring it up.

"This isn't the worst of it," he casually stated.

Shiori's heart skipped a beat as she felt another cat rub against her feet.

"That's it!" she shouted as she stopped dead in her tracks. "I refuse to go any further!"

Sesshomaru stopped and curiously looked back at her.

"Why didn't tell me about this madness?"

"Would you have agreed to come otherwise?" he asked

"No!" she snapped. She narrowed her eyes at him as she realized what he did. "Wait…you tricked me into coming here, didn't you?"

"I did not," he said innocently. "I merely withheld information from you on the status of our destination."

"You conniving dog," she said with a smirk. "It appears that I'm rubbing off on you in more ways than one."

She continued on again with Sesshomaru down the stony passageway. She did her best to ignore the furry creatures purring at her feet.

**"I really hate cats! What kind of person could live under these horrible conditions? It's just not sanitary," **she thought. **"And they're all black felines…..there's no way that's a mere coincidence." **

"I really don't understand you," Sesshomaru suddenly commented.

"My Lord, not a day goes by without you expressing that to me," she dryly responded.

"You're just so peculiar," he continued. "You, the one who laughs in the face of death and jumps head first into danger, has an acute fear of felines."

"For the last time, I am not afraid of cats! They just make me slightly uncomfortable," she fussed. "

Sesshomaru looked at her with disbelief, which only annoyed Shiori even more.

"Don't look at me with those amber eyes of judgment," she said turning her head to the side. She immediately turned back when she sensed something up ahead. "It's the strange presence again…..it's just along this path."

"That would be her," Sesshomaru stated.

"And who is this 'her'?" asked Shiori.

"An old rival of my Father's," he said. "She may have the information we need."

**"Why would he take me to visit a foe of his Father's?"**

There was another swarm of cats just ahead of them. Shiori frowned in disgust. The group of felines was centered on something. Whatever it was they were surrounding, was the source of the strange presence Shiori felt. Finally, they made a break in their circle, revealing a large cat with a split tail. It suggestively licked its paw as it watched its oncoming visitors. It's enormous, sea foam green eyes focused on Sesshomaru as it let out a low mew.

**"This creature…..I've heard of them before," **thought Shiori as she studied the cat. **"….a demonic cat with a split tail. It must be a bakeneko, a shape shifting cat demon."**

All the sudden, the strange cat began to glow with a brilliant light. It was morphing into a more humanoid form. Shiori watched as the feline turned into a sultry looking young woman in a dark green kimono. The kimono tastelessly hung off her shoulders and trailed on the cave floor. She playfully twirled a strand of her thick dark hair. Though she changed forms, her forked tail and pointed ears remained.

"Sesshomaru, this is such an honor," said the woman seductively. "If I'd known you were stopping by I would've freshened up a bit."

Neither Sesshomaru, nor Shiori said anything to her. Sesshomaru stared at the woman as he did anyone—with a complete lack of interest. Shiori was also giving the woman an emotionless glare; however, she was very much interested.

**"Just who is she?" **she wondered. **"And how could she possibly help me?"**

"Oh, I don't believe we've met," said the woman to Shiori. "I'm called Nekuma. You must be the Netherworld goddess I've heard so much about. It's a pleasure to finally meet you…."

"I'd be lying if I told you the feeling was mutual," said Shiori sourly.

Nekuma's eyes sparkled with excitement, "Oooh, I see you've a silver tongue on you. It's no wonder Sesshomaru tolerates your presence…Though, I do envy you. I'd give anything to claim him as my own."

Shiori could feel her anger steadily rising. Just what was this woman trying to achieve by testing her like that? Shiori could feel the lust radiating from Nekuma's inner core—lust for Sesshomaru. It was incredibly sickening.

"I see your inching to use up one of your 9 lives," said Shiori collectedly. "How interesting."

"Darling, don't fret," the woman teased. "We can share him…..if that's alright with you."

"Ugh…you!" snapped Shiori. She attempted to lunge for the woman's neck, but Sesshomaru firmly clamped onto her shoulder.

"Hmmm, I guess that's a no then," laughed the woman. "Too bad….I would've loved to enjoy you both."

"Enough of this," spat Sesshomaru. "We didn't come here to listen to your madness."

Nekuma smirked, "Of course my Lord. How may I assist you? Tell me what I can do to please you…."

"Surely, someone of your nature must know about the events taking place in the underworld…correct?"

"So that's what this is about. You're here for my connections to Hell," she said with a nod. "You're lady sure is the talk of the town. King Enma's very unhappy with her. What's she done this time?"

"You may talk directly to me," said Shiori with slight animosity in her tone. "I am, after all, standing right here. There's no need to talk to or ask Sesshomaru questions about me. Last time I checked, I wasn't I was perfectly capable of answering for myself."

"Oh darling, there's no need to get upset," Nekuma responded with a smirk. "We're all friends here, right?"

Shiori had been so focused on the shape shifting cat creature, that she didn't even notice the strong scent of death lingering from the corners. She looked over and discovered heaps of mutilated dead bodies—human bodies! Nekuma caught her staring and smiled proudly.

"We all have our hobbies," she darkly whispered.

"How do you know about King Enma's affairs?" Shiori asked, ignoring the psychotic look in Nekuma's eyes.

"I have my sources….." she suspiciously said. "Not only do my cats deliver me food, but they also deliver me juicy information."

"And by food you mean humans?" Shiori wondered. **"That explains the monstrous pile of human bodies. The scent of death is still fresh, she must've just fed."**

"Precisely," said Nekuma. "A woman's got to eat doesn't she?"

"I take it you can't leave this cave?"

"Oh, you're quick to catch on, aren't you, love?" said Nekuma suggestively. "You're correct. I can't leave this place. Nearly 2 centuries ago, I was a very powerful demon. I roamed the country devouring the souls and flesh of anything that crossed my path. And I was quite beautiful….wasn't I, Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes in disgust, but didn't answer her. Nekuma chuckled and played with a strand of her hair in an effort to entice him. Shiori ignored the act and waited for her to speak again.

"Yes I most certainly did have it all. But one day, after fighting and losing to a certain shinigami's father, I was sealed away in this cave. Much of my power has been stripped away due to the restriction of the seal."

"It was _my _Father that did this to you?" Shiori asked in shock.

She was sure that Sesshomaru's father was the one who sealed Nekuma inside the cave. She was, in fact, an old foe of his. So how did Shiori's father end up with the same foe? He never mentioned anything like this before. Was is possible that Sesshomaru's and Shiori's fathers knew each other?

Nekuma nodded, "yes, your father is the one who sealed me away. So forgive me if I seem a bit….happy about your little situation. It's the only reason I've been following the status of this war so closely…"

"What war?" Shiori demanded to know.

"Oh, you don't know about the ongoing war in the Netherworld?" asked Nekuma with a sly smile. "My, my…you really have been kept out of the loop. What a shame you can't get to the Netherworld, right? Now, you know what it feels like to be restricted by a seal."

This time when Shiori lunged forward, Sesshomaru didn't move to stop her. Shiori gripped Nekuma by the neck, which only seemed to excite the woman.

"I like this one, Sesshomaru. I might have to steal her away from you."

"Stop shying away from the topic with your lecherous comments," said Shiori coldly. "Are you the one who's blocking my portal connections to the Underworld?"

"I'm not the one responsible for blocking you," she confessed. "Unfortunately, I lack that kind of power at the moment."

"Then who is it?" asked Shiori, tightening her grip.

"Wouldn't you like to know, my little hybrid….." sang Nekuma.

Shiori slammed Nekuma against the wall with such force; she nearly snapped the woman's neck. Shiori's patience was thinner then ever. Why was Nekuma toying with her in such a way?

"If you value your live, then Listen well, pussy foot," Shiori hissed. Her eyes burned with pure rage. "If you don't start cooperating more, your cats will be licking your remains off the walls! You have been warned."

"That's right, punish me Shiori," Nekuma excitedly answered. "I don't mind being roughened up a bit. Exactly what are you gonna do to me?"

She resisted the urge to snap Nekuma's neck right then and there. Shiori was tired of listening to her perverted comments. She liked it better when Nekuma was lusting after Sesshomaru and not herself! Even so, Shiori knew she couldn't just kill her. She had to find out what she knew.

Nekuma casually reached up and stroke the side of Shiori's chin, "what's the matter love? Cat got that silver tongue of yours?"

Shiori took a long look at Nekuma before calmly releasing her.

"What? That's it?" she pouted. "I was hoping for a good roughhousing from you."

Shiori hummed to herself as she strolled to the other side of the cave, with her hands behind her back. Nekuma curiously observed the girl. What was with her strange turn in behavior?

"Wait, what are you doing?" she nervously asked as she watched Shiori bend down over one of her cats. "Get away from them."

She leapt toward Shiori, but froze instantly. Shiori smirked as she held up a cat with one hand. Her other hand was readily at the cat's throat. If Nekuma so as much moved, Shiori would most likely shock the creature to oblivion.

"You may enjoy being roughened up, but I'm sure he doesn't," Shiori jeered. "What's the matter Nekuma? Have you nothing to say at all? No sexual or cocky remarks?"

"Please, don't hurt him!" begged Nekuma. "I'll do anything you want! Please!"

"You already know what I want, so don't waste my time any longer. Now talk! And start from the beginning!"

Nekuma began to whimper as she stared into Shiori's murderous eyes. That cocky, seductive attitude seemed to vanish into thin air. Nekuma desperately looked towards Sesshomaru. She had hoped he'd step in and stop his mate again, but he didn't budge. Sesshomaru quietly and curiously observed the scene between the 2.

"King Enma has had you in his sights for quite some time now," began Nekuma. "It seems that he's developed a bit of an unhealthy obsession with killing you."

Shiori rolled her eyes and dropped the cat from her clutches. She frowned as it gracefully landed on its feet. She was hoping it would fall on its head!

"Yes, I know that already. What's this about a war?"

"Rumor has it that King Enma's army broke through the gates of Hell and challenged your father's authority…knowing you were away," Nekuma explained.

"What?" she gasped. "Just how long has this been going on?"

"I'm not entirely sure," she slyly answered. "I imagine it hasn't been very long. King Enma, obviously, doesn't want you to interfere with that battle."

"**I knew something was wrong. That's why he hasn't tried to contact me…..but…." **She looked away from Nekuma. **"So then I was correct. Enma is the one sealing the portals leading to both the Netherworld and Hell from the other side. But who's assisting him in sealing the portals from this side?"**

"Rumors say he has even bigger plans for you…..but I'm not sure what," Nekuma continued. "Though, it would be a rather lovely piece of information to know."

"Who's helping him with the portals?" asked Shiori. "It's someone from the land of the living, correct?"

Nekuma nodded, "Yes, but I don't know her."

"Her?"

"My cats have told me that King Enma has enlisted the aid of a human girl," said Nekuma. "She's the one sealing who's sealing you…though; I don't have much information about her."

"Impossible," Sesshomaru dismissed. "How could a human have that much power?"

"She must've sold her soul to King Enma in exchange for a fraction of his power," Shiori answered. "He must be using this girl to do his bidding in the physical realm."

Shiori paced the cave floor and began thinking about the current situation.

"King Enma is the Grandmaster of Hell…..but in turn, he's also Hell's greatest prisoner. Unlike his Hell minions, he can't leave whenever he wants. When Enma does leave, Hell will call him back if he's been gone for too long. By transferring some of his power to this girl, he's able to fight me on my own turf."

"Why would he use a human for such things?" asked Sesshomaru.

"Because unlike demons, humans are run by their emotions," she answered. "The more emotional they are, the more reckless they have the potential of becoming. Though, it's a cruel thing to do. King Enma obviously doesn't intend for her to live. Her soul will eventually be destroyed by that kind of demonic power."

"They say this woman is a priestess of some sort," Nekuma commented.

Shiori's heart froze, "Did you say priestess?"

Sesshomaru studied Shiori's intense reaction, **"Her attention seems galvanized by that fact. Why is that?"**

"I've not idea why a priestess would sell her soul to King Enma," said Nekuma casually. "Makes no sense to me…..I'm only reporting what I know. And I'm afraid I'm out of information for you."

"Hmph," said Sesshomaru turning to leave. "Let's go Shiori."

"Be careful out there, Angel," warned Nekuma. "Many people would love to see you dead. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't rooting for them.

Shiori glared at the woman before walking away with Sesshomaru.

"You'd better pray that I never get out of this cave!" she called out while hackling hysterically. "My precious little Angel!"

Sesshomaru and Shiori freely walked back towards the cave entrance. The cats that were along the passage had disappeared. They were most likely spying on them from the shadows. Like always, Shiori was leaving with more questions than answers. She now knew that Megumi was the one blocking her from getting to the Netherworld. The only thing she didn't understand was why. Why did they want her to stay in the physical realm? And what did it have to do with the 1000 soul debt?

"Shiori," said Sesshomaru in a stern voice.

"Yes?" she answered.

"It's time for you to tell me what you've been hiding," he said to her. "What really happened while I was gone?"

…..

Rin stood facing the sunset as she held a small boy of about 5 years old in her arms. She was watching over Miroku and Sango's children for the afternoon. She often did this for them and she really enjoyed it. There was nothing she loved more than entertaining the 3 youngsters.

"Lady Rin!" exclaimed the twins in unison. "Look!"

Rin looked down at the 2 young girls grabbing at her hakama and smiled.

" Sora, Aya, what is it?" she asked them.

"We found these really pretty flowers! Will you help us make them into a necklace?" asked Sora.

Aya nodded, "Yeah! We wanna make some for Mother and Father!"

"Sure thing," said Rin observing the bundle of flowers each girl held. "But I think we'll need more flowers. That doesn't look like enough."

"Okay, we can go pick more!" they sang happily. "Hiroshi? Do you wanna come with us?"

The little boy shook his head then lay back on Rin's shoulder. Rin laughed as the two girls happily skipped away to pick more flowers.

"Hiroshi, why don't you go with them?" Rin gently asked.

"Picking flowers is for girls!" he replied. "I'm not a girl!"

"Already showing early signs of masculinity," giggled Rin.

Suddenly, the twins came running back towards her as fast as they could. They appeared to be running away from something.

"What's wrong?" asked Rin. "Are you alright?"

"Lady Rin, there's a scary lady chasing us!" shouted Aya as they reached Rin.

Both girls dove behind Rin and peered out from behind her legs.

"She's coming!" cried Sora, pointing in the direction they ran in.

Rin looked ahead of her, but saw nothing at all. Had the children's imagination gone wild?

"Peek-a-boo, I see you," boomed a voice from behind them.

Rin turned and found Megumi standing menacingly behind her. Aya and Sora clung to Rin's legs, while Hiroshi buried his head in her shoulder.

"Megumi? What are you doing here?" she worriedly asked.

"Hello Rin," said Megumi darkly.

* * *

><p><strong>Lmao Okay, you can obviously tell I had too much fun causing Shiori frustration in this chapter. lol but anyway, don't worry readers...there will be PLENTY of action in the next chapter :)<strong>


	6. The Pawn's Move

**I own nothing but my O.C's**

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><p>Inuyasha, Kagome, and Sango groaned as they headed down a dusty path. They were followed by Miroku, who was gleefully riding on a horse drawn carriage. The carriage was packed with boxes full of precious silks, wines and gems. They'd just finished exterminating a demon in a nearby village and were returning to their own. As usual, Miroku managed to swindle the villagers into overpaying the group.<p>

"Come, come now," he cheerfully said. "You mean to tell me that none of you wishes to ride with me on this fine carriage? Would you really prefer to walk?"

"I can't believe you swindled those villagers!" Inuyasha complained.

"Are you really surprised?" commented Kagome as a giant sweat ball dropped down the side of her face.

"It's not like they needed the goods. Why, I did them a huge favor," said Miroku as he defended himself. "Their village had an abundant amount of riches and would've easily attracted the attention of bandits. This way, passing bandits won't even think twice about stopping in that village. I was merely trying to help them out."

"That is bullshit and you know it!" Inuyasha retorted.

**"Once a delinquent, always a delinquent….." **thought Sango as she smiled. **"Though I thought his swindling habits would've died down since we're no longer nomads. It seems ever since we had the children, Miroku's been swindling now more than ever."**

"Sango, my Love, care to sit with me?" asked Miroku.

"I think I'll pass," she said, slightly blushing. "I don't want to be too close when the lightning strikes."

Sango couldn't wait to be home again. She hated to be away from the children even for a short time. The twins were just a month shy of their 8th birthday, and their son was only 5 years old.

She was also a little worried, given their current situation. When Rin came by to pick up the children, she updated them on everything that happened in the hut earlier that morning. She told them about how Sesshomaru and Shiori had an argument, which caused Shiori to leave. Sesshomaru, reluctantly, followed her and neither had been heard from since.

"**I wonder how they're doing," **she thought. **"I hope they made up."**

"It feels good to be slaying demons like again, huh?" asked Inuyasha.

"Hardly," Kagome dryly answered. "I like it better now that our lives are much simpler."

"Feh," said Inuyasha while crossing his arms. "Well I don't. I miss the action. Stopping evil priestesses and a few rat demons just isn't cutting it. Why does Shiori get to have all the fun?"

"I'd hardly call being stalked by a hellish overlord fun, Inuyasha," said Miroku with a sigh.

"You guys just don't know what fun is?" scoffed Inuyasha.

"Hey guys!" called a voice from the sky.

All of them spotted Shippo putt putting towards them in his giant pink ball form. He was returning to Kaede's village after his daily fox demon training, when he found his friends along the path. He transformed back into his fox form and dropped from the sky, landing on Inuyasha's head.

"Hey everybody!" he happily greeted. "I'm back from my training session! It was a pretty good one today!"

"Wow, really? That's great Shippo," praised Sango.

"Yes," Kagome agreed. "At this rate, you'll be even stronger than Inuyasha."

A vein popped in Inuyasha's forehead, "Will you get off me squirt?"

Shippo chuckled, "What's wrong? Scared because you have some future competition!"

"That's it!"

Inuyasha tried to yank Shippo by the tail, but the little fox escaped just in time. He quickly ran round Miroku's wagon, followed by Inuyasha.

"Ha!" exclaimed Shippo. "Can't catch me, can ya?"

"I'll show you, you stupid little brat!"

Inuyasha sprang for Shippo. Thinking quickly, Shippo dove into Kagome's arms. Inuyasha continued to run towards him, but tried to slow down when he realized he now had protection. Kagome was actively staring into Inuyasha's eyes.

"Oh no!" he yelped, as he desperately tried to use his feet as breaks.

Shippo mischievously smiled, "Oh yes!"

"Inuyasha," said Kagome sternly.

"Heh?" said Inuyasha worriedly.

She gently closed her eyes, "Sit!"

Inuyasha cried in agony as he went plummeting to the ground face first. Kagome grinned as she graciously stepped over his body.

"You'd think he learn by now?" Miroku mumbled to himself.

...

Megumi smirked devilishly as she took another step towards Rin. Her hands were casually folded behind her back as she held the young priestess and company in her gaze. The children all trembled as she slowly approached them.

**"What's going on here?" **thought Rin. **"Why am I sensing such a terrible aura from Megumi? It's never been there before. And what's with her kimono?"**

Megumi was no longer dressed in priestess garb, as she was when Rin last saw her. She was now wearing an elaborate burgundy furisode with a dragon floral pattern.

**"I have one similar to it in pattern. Lady Shiori brought it to me as a gift from her father. How could Megumi afford a kimono like that?"**

"Is this a bad time?" Megumi jokingly asked. "You look like you've got your hands full. Those wouldn't happen to be the children of the village monk and demon slayer, would they? Were they not the same pair that helped Inuyasha and Kagome aid in the destruction of my grandmother? What an interesting find…"

The twins ducked down behind Rin even more as they shook with fear. Rin was slightly alarmed by Megumi's comments. Megumi wouldn't really try to harm the children in revenge, would she? Rin didn't believe that she couldn't possibly stoop down that low, and yet….

"Megumi," said Rin worriedly. "You really shouldn't be here. If Inuyasha or Lady Shiori catch you here, they might not be so nice this time. Please, you have to go."

"I'm not concerned with them for the moment," she answered. "Right now, I have _other _things to deal with."

Rin slowly moved back from the dark priestess, "There's something's different about you, isn't there? Why are you acting so strange? You've always been so timid and quite, but now you seem—"

"Livelier?" Megumi cut in. "That's what happens to those who wield true power. Now nothing can stop me, not even Shiori."

"True power?" asked Rin. **"Oh no! She must've sold her soul to a demon like her mother and grandmother. That must be why she has this aura."**

"Lady Rin…" whispered Hiroshi. His little face was filled to the brim with fear. "Wh-who is this Lady? What does she want?"

"I'd like to know the same thing," Rin answered, loud enough for Megumi to hear. "I've already asked her nicely to leave."

"Well if you want me to leave so badly," said Megumi slyly as her eyes turned blood shot red. "Then I'll make this quick. I'm sorry, but you must die."

The girls screamed as halberd materialized in Megumi's hand. She dashed towards the group and lashed at them. Rin twisted her body as she stumbled back out of the way. The children were all still holding on tightly, even as her hip hit the ground.

"I really am sorry about this," Megumi repeated as she knelt down over Rin. "These are king Enma's orders, not mine."

Rin gasped, "King Enma? You mean…..he is the one you sold your soul to? Megumi how could you?"

"I wanted a way to get back at my enemies," Megumi angrily replied. "And he's given me the power to do it…all he asked for in return was my soul. But I'd gladly give it to him anyway."

"You don't know what you're doing! King Enma's bad news!" Rin shouted.

"You don't know him liked I do," snapped Megumi. "It's all that wretched Shiori's fault! Her and that dog, Sesshomaru, destroyed the kingdom of Hell. They completely threw off the natural balance of it. You shouldn't even be alive right now. Hell hungers for your soul!"

As Megumi was about to strike again, Rin stuck a sutra to her chest. Megumi paused as she felt a slight shock run through her body. The sacred sutra delayed Megumi long enough for Rin and the children to escape.

"Run!" she yelled while jumping to her feet.

She tightened her grip on Hiroshi as she pushed both Aya and Sora forward with her free arm. The girls didn't waste any time scrambling to their feet as they all ran for their lives. She was still in shock that the sutra even worked in the first place, and she wasn't the only one. Megumi's demonic aura managed to overpower the sutra after a few minutes.

"**How could a sutra have proven to be so effective over me?" **she thought as she stood to her feet. **"This doesn't add up."**

Megumi chased after Rin and wildly swung around her halberd. She wouldn't allow Rin to escape. Enma was counting on her to destroy her and anyone else marked for death. The children were now several yards ahead of them. Rin was glad they were able to make such great distance.

"Ack!" cried Rin as she cut off by Megumi. The dark priestess managed to leap over her head and block her pathway.

"You will not escape me!" snapped Megumi.

Rin quickly pulled out her bow and lined it up with one of her arrows. Aiming as carefully as she could, she fired at the woman. Rin's face dropped as the arrow zoomed right over Megumi's head.

Megumi blinked, "was that supposed to hit me? Unbelievable! You mean to tell me that after all our training and instruction you still can't fire a simple arrow?"

"Eh?" Rin shyly shuffled her feet. "Well I am still learning. And you started your training before I did."

Megumi looked back at where the arrow landed.

"**Even so, why would she fire a normal arrow at me?" **she thought. **"She didn't infuse her sacred powers into the arrow like she did with the sutra."**

Rin already had another arrow ready by the time Megumi turned back around.

"Don't make me fire again Megumi!" she threatened. "I promise I won't miss this time!"

"Look, I don't want to do this either. So just close your eyes and I'll try and make this as painless as possible!" she screeched.

Megumi slowly stepped towards her former friend. Rin yelped as she released the bowstring. Once again, Rin's arrow failed to hit Megumi.

"Stop making this difficult for yourself," said Megumi darkly. She was almost upon her now.

"Please don't do this Megumi," Rin lightly begged as she backed away. She had given up on her arrows. "It doesn't have to be this way."

"I'm afraid it does," she answered raising her halberd. "Don't blink…."

As Megumi was about to slice Rin's head off, she was pelted by a series of pebbles. Her eyes flashed with anger as she turned to see who was interfering. Sora, Aya, and Hiroshi proudly stared down Megumi from half a yard away.

"You leave her alone!" shouted Aya.

"Get away from Lady Rin!" ordered Sora.

Hiroshi didn't speak, but instead chose to menacingly stare. Megumi tried to ignore them, but she was growing tired of their little "rock shower". Rin watched as Megumi's expression became more and more extorted.

"**She looks like she could bite a snakes head off," **thought Rin.

"Stop it!" Megumi fussed.

However, the children continued to hit her with every rock they could find.

"That's it! I've had enough you!" she said.

Megumi's halberd started glowing with dark power.

"I'll show you brats what real power is!"

"No!" cried Rin.

Just as she was about to go for the children, Rin launched herself at Megumi and hung onto her for dear life. Megumi cringed as she felt yet another wave of purification run through her body. Rin herself wasn't sure how she was doing it, but she just decided to go with it.

"I'm not gonna let you hurt them!" Rin yelled.

"Let me go!" commanded Megumi while trying to shake the girl off her. **"How is she purifying me again?"**

The more Megumi struggled, the harsher the purification became. She looked down at Rin's wrists that were wrapped around her waist.

"**Those beads," **she thought as she stared at Rin's bracelet. **"That's why she can only purify me when we make direct contact. She's being protected by those sacred beads around her wrist."**

Megumi attempted to grab Rin's bracelet, but it was no good. Touching it directly proved to be much more painful. Finally, she collapsed forward. Rin was still holding onto her as she sunk to the ground.

"**She has such a terrible aura…" **she thought. **"How could you do this Megumi? How could you sell your soul to a monster like King Enma? Do you really hate us that bad?"**

"Lady Rin!" cried the children as they ran toward her.

Rin got up and scooted back from Megumi. She stared down at the unconscious priestess. It was only a matter of time before she woke up and tried to kill her again. They had to move fast.

"Let's get out of here," Rin instructed as she scooped up Hiroshi.

She quickly darted back in the direction of the village. Aya and Sora ran close to her side as they made their way through the thick forest. They were already out of sight when Megumi's bloodshot eyes shot open.

...

"Jaken!" shouted Inuyasha as he kicked the sleeping imp on his side. "What are you still doing here? You should be gone!"

"You no-good little half vermin!" Jaken hissed as he jumped to his feet. "How dare you kick me like that while I slumber?"

"Oh…you mean like this?" said Inuyasha as he kicked Jaken once again.

Inuyasha smirked as Jaken went flying back into the wall, causing the whole hut to shake. A giant sweat ball dropped down the side of Kaede's face. If this kept up, her entire home would be brought to shambles.

"Inuyasha," Kagome scolded. "Was that really necessary?"

"Well it's his fault for sleeping on the job!" Inuyasha snapped back.

"Eh….job?" thought Jaken he rubbed his head. Why did he suddenly get the feeling there was something he should've been doing instead of sleeping?

"Yes job! I thought Sesshomaru told you to look after Rin," Inuyasha reminded him.

Jaken's eyes quickly widened as he realized that Rin was nowhere to be found. He scrambled to his feet and ran frantically ran around the hut.

"Rin? Where did she go?" Jaken shrieked. "Oh, Lord Sesshomaru's going to kill me!"

"Calm yourself little demon," said Kaede. "Rin has gone to the meadows with the youngsters."

"Why didn't she take me with her? And my name his Jaken!" he barked.

"She didn't want to wake you," said Sango. "You were asleep for a very long time. She came over to our hut to pick up the children hours ago."

"No! No! What if something happens to her?"He freaked. "What's going to happen to me?"

"If something happens to you it'll be your own fault," Shippo jeered. "Sesshomaru did appoint you in charge. I'd really hate to be you when he and Shiori come back."

"Don't you think I already know that, you despicable child?" Jaken hissed.

"Who are you calling a 'despicable child', you ugly troll?" Shippo shot back.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have let young Rin go alone," Kaede sighed. "Especially after all the things going on right now. I wasn't thinking clearly. It would've been better to have her wait here until Sesshomaru and Shiori returned. If anyone is to blame, it would be me."

"Don't beat yourself up, Kaede," said Kagome as she attempted to calm her down. "I'm sure she'll be alright. They just went down to the meadow."

"Come," said Miroku leading the way to the exit. "Let's go collect them."

"Hey Jaken, you coming or what?" Inuyasha asked. "If so, then you better hope we get to them before Sesshomaru and Shiori do."

"Yep, or you're dead meat!" Shippo teased.

**"Oh honestly, must they continue to tease him?" **thought Kagome as a giant sweat ball dropped down the back of her head. **"But Kaede's right, we should definitely stay together at a time like this. I hope they're alright."**

**...**

Sesshomaru and Shiori quietly walked side by side through a mountain passageway. They were making their way back from Nekuma's cave. Shiori had just finished explaining the "Megumi situation" to Sesshomaru. For the longest time, he didn't respond. He wouldn't even look at Shiori as he stalked beside her. Shiori didn't quite know what he was feeling. It appeared that he was once again hiding his feelings from her. It was never a good sign when he did that. She eagerly waited in silence for Sesshomaru to speak again.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he somberly asked as he continued staring straight ahead. His face was as smooth and expressionless as a mask.

"I didn't think it was that much of a problem," she told him. "There's no need for me to bother you with trivial affairs."

"This is hardly a trivial affair," he said flatly.

A vein popped in her head, "I realize that now. However, at the time, it was. Like I said, I didn't want to bother you."

"Is it that you didn't want to bother me," he asked. "Or is it simply that you just didn't want me involved for whatever reason?"

He still wasn't looking at her, but he could feel her eyes on him.

"A little of both," she admitted. "I was afraid of what you might do or how you'd react to the situation and—"

"I would've thought you'd learn to trust me by now," he cut in.

"Excuse me?" she managed to say after a slight pause. "How can you say something like that? I'd trust you with my life."

"Then why do you hide things like this from me?" He asked. "You've just said so yourself that you were afraid of my reaction. What exactly do you think I'm going to do?"

Shiori knew Sesshomaru would go through great lengths to protect her, whether he'd admit to it or not. He always remained calm and collected when in danger, which frightened Shiori. She often pretended the situations he was in weren't nearly as dangerous as they really were. Worse of all, Sesshomaru's emotions were so complex, that Shiori couldn't always tell what he was feeling. She couldn't always tell when he felt afraid or confused.

"Oh, I don't know," she sternly replied, "maybe something that involves you being absorbed by another demon."

He finally turned to look her in the eye. Her eyes burned into his.

"Will you ever let that go?"

"No," she answered. "Will you ever let me willingly give myself up to Naraku go?"

"Not likely," he said bleakly.

"Hmm, it seems we've finally agreed upon something," she said slyly.

He glared at the smiling girl, "Perhaps we could agree on something else. Like how to deal with this mess you've created with King Enma?"

Shiori was absolutely stunned, "The mess that I created? Who's the one that killed the Lord of Hell 8 years ago and freed those dead souls?"

"I did it for Rin," he scoffed.

"And I went before King Enma for Rin," she said. "And for you as well."

Sesshomaru grew silent again as he thought over what she said. It was true; Shiori sacrificed a lot by going before King Enma for him. But he never would've asked her to so such a thing. The girl insisted on it!

"Look, we're both in the same boat right now," she explained. "Both of us had a hand in causing this. But there isn't a single thing I'd do differently if I could. I'm glad Rin's safe….I'm glad you're safe."

Sesshomaru and Shiori had stopped walking and were now facing each other. Her violet eyes flickered with sorrow as she thought about all the times she'd nearly lost them both. Sesshomaru gently tucked a lose strand of Shiori's hair behind her ear. He rested his hand on the side of her jawbone for a little bit before dropping his hand to his side. Shiori smiled at his attempt to comfort her.

"Now he wants revenge. Not just against me, but all of us. He won't stop until we're all dead and the debt of 1000 souls has been paid. " She reminded him. "And he's started with this war in the Netherworld. If I could just find a way back there. I just hope Father is doing alright with the rest of the army."

"Where is this priestess called Megumi?" asked Sesshomaru sharply.

Shiori shrugged, "I wish I knew, My Lord. I can't seem to sense her energy anywhere. If I knew she was to be involved with King Enma when I encountered her, I would've slain her without hesitation."

Sesshomaru was surprised by the harshness of her statement, but said nothing about it. He would've done the same thing. He didn't know her scent, so he couldn't locate her either. It seemed that they had nothing to go on.

"Why did you wait until now?" she suddenly asked.

He glanced at her, "what do you mean? Be more specific."

"About Nekuma?" she asked. "It just seems strange that a woman, whom I've never even heard you talk about, would suddenly come into the picture with information."

"Hmph," he scoffed. "She was never worth mentioning until now. Because she suited my purpose, I decided to bring her up."

"**Still, the timing on that was a little too perfect," **she thought. **"What are the odds that she'd have the exact information I was looking for? Things are getting stranger by the moment."**

"Let's go," he instructed. "We've got a lot of matters to settle."

She nodded, "indeed we do."

* * *

><p><strong> So, one of my readers asked if I based Shiori off Sebastian from Black Butler. She thought they were very similar in terms of personality. I'd never even seen Black Butler before until recently. And I mean RECENTLY. I'd heard of it but never seen...my crazy cousin loves that show! So, I decided to watch it a few days ago for the hell of it and loved it! I can see why my reader thought I drew inspiration from Sebastian. lol <strong>

** But anyway...she originally thought that I based Nekuma's lustful feelings toward Shiori off of Grell's lustful feelings towards Sebastian (BB characters!) lol obviously I didn't. That's actually based off a real life situation. Nekuma is based off one of my friends who would constantly do everything that Nekuma did to Shiori to me...lmao or at least try! Apparently my disturbed reactions were so funny that she kept doing it! This has been my little author/ fun note!**


	7. Marked for Death

**I own nothing but mu O.C**

* * *

><p>"Hurry!" Rin ordered the twins. "Keep going!"<p>

Rin and the children made a mad dash through the forest. It wouldn't be long before they reached the village. Rin hoped that everyone finally returned and could help. Aya and Sora were becoming exhausted due to all the running. They begged to stop, but Rin wouldn't let them.

"I know you two are tired," said Rin warmly. "But we have to keep moving. Otherwise, she'll catch up to us."

"But why?" asked Sora tearfully. "Why is that lady after us? What did we ever do to her?"

"I wish Mother and Father were here," panted Aya.

"I know," said Rin. She too was tired from running. "Everything will be alright soon. We just have to get to the village and—"

Rin immediately went quiet and listened to the faint echoes behind her. Megumi was near!

"You can run," boomed her voice all around them. "But you can't hide. I'll find you and kill each one of you."

Hiroshi began to whimper against Rin's chest.

"This way," she whispered to the girls.

She led them into some nearby bushes and told them to stay down. Rin wrapped her arms around all three children as they hid in the thick bustles.

"Rin," Megumi mockingly called. "Oh Rin, where are you? Do you truly believe you can hide yourself from The Angel of Darkness? I'll reign Hell on you!"

"**Angel of Darkness?"** thought Rin.

Finally, Megumi came into view. She could easily sense where Rin was hiding and slowly edged towards it.

"I've figured out your little trick," she shouted. "That bracelet you wear protects you only from direct attacks."

"**Bracelet?" **thought Rin looking down at the charm around her wrist. **"This thing? Yes, Lady Kaede told me that Lady Shiori put it on me while I was unconscious. So this is the reason I was able to stop Megumi before. It wasn't my power; it was Lady Shiori's."**

"I can't touch you directly. I can, however, harm you with a long ranged attack," Megumi continued as she charged up her halberd with energy. "You won't be able to save yourself! Not this time."

She swung her weapon at the bush, and an enormous wall of energy came hurling out of it. Rin clung onto the children as she feared for the worst.

"Backlash wave!" cried a voice.

Rin peered through the bushes. Inuyasha had just stepped in and deflected all of Megumi's energy back towards her. She managed to avoid being harmed by the attack.

"Inuyasha!" Rin exclaimed happily as she stood up from her hiding spot. "You're here!"

"Feh, of course I'm here!" he scoffed.

"Rin!" called Sango.

She, Kagome, Miroku and Jaken were all running towards them.

"Are you all okay?" asked Miroku.

"Mother! Father!" called the children as all three of them leapt onto Sango.

Sango wrapped her arms around her precious angels and Miroku embraced them all.

"We're so glad you're okay," said Sango.

Kagome smiled as she watched the family rejoice. She quietly turned to Rin.

"You're not hurt, are you?"

Rin shook her head, "I'm okay. It's a good thing you all came in time, or we might not have been so lucky."

"Rin, you stupid girl!" Jaken scolded. "What were you thinking, running off and leaving me like that?'

"Master Jaken, you were sleeping so soundly," said Rin cheerfully. "It would've been rude to wake you up."

"It would've been rude to get me killed as well!" he shrieked.

"Miroku! Get everyone out of here!" ordered Inuyasha.

"Right," He nodded, "This way!"

Miroku tried to lead the group in the opposite direction.

Megumi suddenly appeared in front of the group.

"No!" she bellowed. "I won't let you escape!"

"Hirakotsu!" hollered Sango as she tossed her giant boomerang at the evil priestess.

Megumi easily jumped up and dodged Sango's attack. Inuyasha leapt towards her and tried to take a swing at her in the air.

"You're too slow!" she teased as they both sunk down towards the ground below.

"I knew I should've finished you off when I had the chance!" he scoffed as he tried to strike her again.

"**What's with this girl?" **he wondered. **"Her scent smells different than before….it's almost demonic!"**

…**.**a short distance away….

The rest of the group watched the two battle it out from a safer spot. They were also curious about the source of the priestess newfound power. She was giving off a strong demonic aura.

"I don't understand," said Kagome. "What happened to her?"

"She sold her soul to King Enma," Rin informed her.

"She what?" gasped Miroku. "Why would she do that?"

"She wanted revenged against everyone. So she sold her soul to him in exchange for power," she answered.

"And by doing that, she was reborn as a demon?" asked Sango.

"It looks that way," Rin responded while watching the fight.

"Huh? I'm confused. Who is this Megumi woman?" Jaken demanded to know.

"Interesting that she'd be wearing such an elaborate kimono,"said Miroku, completely ignoring Jaken.

"Eh?" said Kagome turning to him. "What do you mean?"

"I've only seen royalty or nobility wearing that particular style of kimono," he explained as he stroked his chin. "Why would a mere priestess being wearing such attire?"

"She could've gotten it from King Enma," said Rin. "She's not a mere priestess anymore."

"Yes, I'm sure she did. But why would he give it to her?"

"Come to think of it, Rin," said Sango, "don't you have a kimono with a similar pattern?"

She nodded, "I do. It was a gift from Lady Shiori's father. It's nowhere near as fancy as that one is, but it does have the same exact pattern. I also have a hair pin like the one's she's wearing."

"Hair pins?"

"Yes, the one I have matches her pins exactly. I noticed that when I grabbed her from behind," she replied. "But I only have one."

"Tell me, did you also get that pin from Shiori?" asked Miroku.

"You know what? I did!" Rin answered.

"And you did say that kind of kimono is usually worn by royalty or nobility," Kagome chimed in. "You don't think King Enma gave Megumi an outfit exactly like Shiori's just to spite her, do you?"

"No," Miroku said, "I think that outfit is Shiori's. Everything down to the very pins in her hair."

"What could he possibly gain from that?" Sango wondered, while comforting Hiroshi.

"When Megumi was attacking us I heard her call herself, _The Angel of Darkness,_" said Rin.

Everyone immediately turned to face her. Did Megumi really believe she was The Angel of Darkness?

"**Just where is King Enma going with all of this?" **Miroku pondered.

Kagome warily watched as Inuyasha narrowly escaped Megmui's pursuits. She was especially worried now that she knew where the dark priestess obtained her new power. Megumi was practically a demon now. Who knew what she was capable of?

…

"Inuyasha, you weren't my target for the day," called Megumi "But since you're here I may as well eliminate you. You are, after all, marked for death!"

Megumi's halberd manifested a hellish aura as she charged for Inuyasha.

"You have all been marked for death!" shouted Megumi. "None of you will leave this place alive!"

"Marked for death?"thought Inuyasha. "What is she talking about now, you witch?"

Inuyasha blocked her with the Tessaiga and tried to overpower her.

"It is King Enma's will,"

"What the hell does that bastard have to do with this?" barked Inuyasha.

Megumi's crimson eyes flashed and she averted her attention to the skies.

"You'll soon find out," she said darkly.

She swiftly moved back and kicked Inuyasha in the abdomen. Inuyasha went sailing back a few yards before slamming down on the ground

"Inuyasha!" cried Kagome as she ran towards him.

Megumi nimbly landed on a nearby tree branch and arrogantly looked down at them all. She laughed as Kagome tried to tend to the fallen Inuyasha.

"Why are you getting so worked up, Lady Kagome?" she jeered. "I only kicked him. It's not liked I sliced him in half like I wanted to."

Kagome quickly lined up her bow and fired at Megumi. But the woman smiled as she deflected it back at her with her weapon. Before Kagome could react, Inuyasha pulled her down and dove out of the arrow's path.

"You see Rin, that is how to shoot an arrow," Megumi called out to Rin. "Not that it really mattered because the arrow failed to kill me. But since you're such a lousy shot, I just thought you'd like to know for future references."

Rin's face turned bright red and she shamefully hung her head.

"It's okay Lady Rin. You'll get it someday," Sora assured her. "We believe in you."

"Thanks," Rin smiled and she gave the child a warm hug, **"I just hope you're right."**

"its looks like I've got no other choice," said Inuyasha holding his sword out in front of him. "I've got to use the Meido zangetshua."

"**Inuyasha…." **Kagome thought as he protectively stood in front of her.

"Huh?" Inuyasha stammered. "S-something's wrong. Tessaiga's energy won't change."

"What do you mean?" asked Kagome.

"I…I can't use the meido zangetshua!" snapped Inuyasha. "It won't work!"

"Well of course it won't work," shouted Jaken.

Megumi was now calmly sitting down on the tree limb examining her fingernails. Occasionally, she credulously glanced down at her enemies below.

"Why not?" Inuyasha demanded to know.

"Because I closed them off," Megumi simply stated. "King Enma ordered me to, and I obliged."

"Eh, she's the one who sealed the meido stone?" gasped Jaken and Rin in unison.

"You? How the hell do you have the power to do something like that?" Inuyasha shouted.

She smugged, "I can do anything…I'm the Angel of Darkness!"

Suddenly, a wall of energy came hurling towards Megumi. Inuyasha swept up Kagome and moved out the way. Megumi also moved to escape being caught up in the ruthless attack. Rin looked in the direction the attack came from and smiled.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" she happily cried. "Lady Shiori! You made it."

Sesshomaru and Shiori slowly approached Inuyasha and Kagome. A vein popped in Inuyasha's head as he stood to face his brother.

"Sesshomaru, you idiot, you could've killed us with that!"

But Sesshomaru paid him no mind what-so-ever. Instead, he kept his focus on Megumi. Shiori was also glaring at the evil priestess. Her violet eyes slowly filled up with pure horror. Megumi smiled to herself in satisfaction.

"Hmm, I don't believe I heard you right," said Shiori. "It sounded like you just referred to yourself as the Angel of Darkness. Funny, I could've sworn that was one of my titles."

"You heard right," snickered Megumi. "I'm the new Angel of Darkness, or at least I will be! I must first get rid of you!"

"Is that also why you're wearing my kimono?" she asked. There was a prevalent amount of animosity in her tone.

Megumi frowned, "yours? This kimono is mine. It was given to me by King Enma himself."

"No, it belongs to me," she calmly answered. "In fact, it's the exact attire I wore when I first met King Enma. He stole it from my father's castle, didn't he?"

"**So that's why I picked up Shiori's scent on Megumi," **thought Inuyasha.

"I'm pretty sure he did," said Megumi blissfully. "Right now, your entire castle is under siege. It's a shame you can't go there to help your father, isn't?"

"Why are you doing this?" Shiori asked. "Why are you helping Enma? Don't you even care that you've just banished yourself to Hell?"

Megumi smiled sinisterly, "It is you lot that will be going to Hell!"

Just as soon as Megumi finished speaking, Shiori was nearly upon her. The young priestess barely had enough time to escape being sliced apart by Shiori's sword. But she didn't have any time to relax. Shiori was already gunning for her again. Megumi blocked Shiori's pursuit with her weapon and tried to push her back.

"Give me back my grandmother's pins," Shiori hissed.

"They belong to me now," Megumi answered. "You can't have them! King Enma gave them to me along with my new kimono and title!"

"Do what you want with the kimono," said Shiori. "However, you _will _give me back those pins."

"I don't think so," sneered Megumi. "You'll have to pry them from my cold dead fingers."

"Did I not make myself clear already? I have no problem with killing humans. Especially ones that makes deals with demons."

Megumi smiled and jumped back away from her opponent.

"Sorry, but I have no intention of being killed by you," she explained while looking in Rin's direction. "I came here to kill that girl! But you all seem to be in such a hurry to die!"

Her body began manifesting with an ominous crimson light, "So I won't keep you waiting anymore! You have been marked!"

"There you go again with that!" hollered Inuyasha. "What stupid mark are you talking about?"

The ground below everyone began violently shaking. Megumi evilly grinned as the Earth began to split open, and beams of miasma came oozing out. Inuyasha quickly grabbed hold of Kagome and evaded the approaching doom. The poisonous chunks had even reached where Miroku and the others were standing. Sango destroyed as much as she could with her hirakotsu.

"Father!" cried the children as all three clung to Miroku's chest. He sprinted off as fast as he could.

Rin and Jaken were hot on Miroku's trail.

"**Oh, this is it! I'm gonna die for sure this time!" **thought Jaken.

"Inuyasha! We've got to do something," said Kagome.

"Don't you think I know that!" he fussed while slicing away the oncoming miasma. **"What the hell's this girl's problem? Can she really be this pissed at us?"**

"But we mustn't kill her," she told him. "We can't."

"And why not?" he asked. "She's ruthless."

"Yes, but…she's still human," said Kagome.

"So was Tsubaki,"

"But she's different than her grandmother. I can sense it. Despite what she's doing to us, killing her just doesn't seem right. We should try to save her instead."

…Yards away…

Megumi laughed hysterically as she watched everyone scatter.

"You think this little miasma shower will be enough to kill me?" shouted Shiori over the commotion. "Nice try, though."

"I may not be able to kill you, but Rin sure seems to be having some issues!"

Shiori quickly turned around. How could she have forgotten about Rin! She looked back in time to watch Rin trip and fall on the ground. Jaken, who was following close behind her, also tripped.

"Rin!" she screamed.

Just as Rin was about to die, Sesshomaru swooped her up and flew out of harm's way.

"Huh? Lord Sesshomaru, don't leave me to die!" screeched Jaken as he latched onto the Demon Lord's white pelt.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin happily exclaimed when she finally opened her eyes.

Shiori sighed with relief. Rin was safe! She quickly separated herself from the evil priestess. She had a feeling what was about to come next.

"You filthy hellhound!" Megumi hollered as she directed all of her energy at Sesshomaru. "Get out of my way!"

Sesshomaru gently put Rin down and turned his back to her.

"I've let this go on long enough," he solemnly said while drawing his weapon. "Bakusaiga!"

With a single stroke, Sesshomaru destroyed all of the oncoming clusters. Had Megumi not moved when she did, she would've been killed by the blast. Instead, she received minor injuries.

"**His sword….." **she thought as her eyes widened with terror. **"It's so powerful. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. How can I stop such a thing?"**

Megumi landed back on the Earth and sunk to her knees. Shiori darted down in front of her and yanked her neck.

"Let's make a few things clear, you blood thirsty tart," she snapped. "I don't care what Enma has told you, there can be only one Angel of Darkness—me! And as the Angel of Darkness, I'm the only person allowed to call Sesshomaru a hellhound! Now then, I'll be taking these back now."

Megumi squirmed as Shiori pulled the pins out of her hair, tightening the grip around her neck in the process.

"I'm going to give you an opportunity to uplift your seal over the netherworld. If you won't, I'll just have to kill you."

"But how do you know if killing me will release the seal?" asked Megumi with a smirk.

At that moment, Kagome and Inuyasha landed down behind Shiori.

"And how do I know you're not just trying to save yourself?" asked Shiori.

"Then kill me and find out, because I'm not telling you anything," she answered. "Do you really want to risk never being able to see your Father again? You still don't know the status of the war either."

"Tell me what's going on!" she spat.

"I'm afraid I don't have much information on that. But last I checked, your Father was still alive," Megumi jeered. "I think."

"Why are you doing this?" asked Inuyasha. "We're the ones that killed your Grandmother. And it was us that your Mother was after, not her."

"No…She's the one who caused Mother to commit suicide!" she screeched. "And I will never forget that!"

Shiori dropped Megumi to the ground, **"Inuyasha's right. Her reasons for wanting revenge against me are absurd. When I first encountered her, I didn't feel this much hatred in her heart. Could it be that King Enma's intensified her feelings of revenge?"**

"You all will pay!" screamed Megumi from the top of her lungs.

She raised her halberd slightly above her head. Kagome cringed as she felt its demonic aura rippling through the air. Shiori was also disturbed by the energy the weapon was casting. But before she could make a move, a powerful bright light erupted from the halberd. It vanished just as quickly as it appeared.

"You have all been marked!" screeched Megumi. "All of you who should've died in the Netherworld 8 years ago have all been marked! Each and every loose end will now be tied."

As she spoke, Shippo felt a burning sensation in his chest.

"Ah!" he cried when he partially opened his kimono to examine it. "What is this?"

On his chest, was the image of a distorted red oni mask. Kagome tried to keep Shippo from panicking, until she too felt the same burning sensation.

"I have it as well!" she shrieked.

Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango quickly examined themselves and each discovered the same thing. All of them had the same oni mark on the left side of their chests. Megumi laughed devilishly as she lowered her halberd.

"Aren't you going to check as well?" she asked both Sesshomaru and Shiori.

They were both still standing in front of her with, silently glaring.

"Just what is the purpose of this mark?" Sesshomaru demanded to know.

"This is King Enma's kiss," explained Megumi. "You will all bare this mark, symbolizing your eternal damnation. And Hell hungers for your blood."

As she spoke, Shiori felt her blood freeze up. So this was also a part of King Enma's plan? To drag them all to Hell? She didn't anticipate this at all. She only thought he was after Sesshomaru, Rin and herself…..unless….

"Is this a part of the debt of a thousand souls we're required to pay?" she callously asked.

"Funny you should mention that," said Megumi slyly. "The debt will soon be repaid. King Enma will soon have his souls."

She was about to say something more, but suddenly stopped.

"It would seem that he's calling for me," said Megumi gloomily. **"But why now? I haven't finished here yet. I haven't succeeded yet in killing Rin or any of them for the matter."**

"You're not going anywhere until you release the seal!" Shiori told her.

"I'd be less concerned about the underworld right now," taunted Megumi. "You already have so many other things to worry about. You'll be apart of the war sooner than you know it."

"What do you mean by that?"

"This war will now be fought on two fronts," she said eerily while floating away.

**"Two….fronts?" **thought Shiori as she stared down at the ground.

Sesshomaru watched Shiori stand as still as a statue. He could easily tell that the stress of everything was finally getting to her.

"Oh no you don't, witch!" shouted Inuyasha whirling his weapon. "Windscar!"

But it was too late; Megumi had already vanished into an ominous vapor and shot into the horizon.

"Damn it," fussed Inuyasha. "You really did it this time Shiori!"

**"Maybe I did," **Shiori sadly thought to herself.

Miroku and Sango watched as everything unfolded. Aya, Sora, and Hiroshi cowered behind their parents as they tried to figure out what was happening. Shippo, who was just as afraid, desperately tried to calm them down.

"Miroku," Sango whispered softly. "What does all of this mean?"

"It means that unless we can defeat King Enma and Megumi," he lowered his voice so his kids couldn't hear him. "We will all be sent to Hell."

Sango felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach, **"No…"**

Neither one of them noticed the black cat quietly examining the scene from a tree branch.

…..

Emi warily stared at the reflection of her bare chest in the mirror. Slowly, she brought her hand up to the strange marking just above her left bosom.

**"What is this ominous marking?" **she thought while trying not to panic. **"Where could it have come from?"**

She felt her blood thin as screams of terror echoed throughout the palace. Emi quickly covered herself back up and rushed to see what all the commotion was about. She nearly tripped over her long kimono on the way out.


	8. A Two Front War

**I own nothing but my O.C**

* * *

><p>"This is all your fault!" Inuyasha accused, as he pointed a finger at Shiori. "Somehow, you single-handily doomed us all!"<p>

Shiori vaguely stared while Inuyasha ranted and raved at her. It was obvious that the girl wasn't paying him any mind. Once he realized this, Inuyasha became even angrier. By this time, the rest of the group had gathered around. Everyone was still trying to make since of what happened.

"And you don't even have anything to say for yourself?" He shouted.

Shiori remained silent.

"Inuyasha," said Sesshomaru stepping in. "It is my understanding that you and that girl were the ones who originally started this. Were you not the ones that killed her Grandmother in the past?"

"Oh, so now you're saying this is our fault?" spat Inuyasha. "And what about you? You're the one that killed one of the lords of Hell and pissed of King Enma in the first place!"

"And what was he suppose to do?" asked Shiori breaking her silence. "Leave Rin and Kohaku to die?"

Inuyasha didn't respond. Instead, he grunted and folded his arms like a pouting child. Kagome, who was by his side, lovingly put her head on his shoulder. She was hoping that he'd calm down a little bit.

Rin thought back about that fateful day. She didn't remember much of what happened 8 years ago. She remembered that she and Kohaku were swallowed by a giant hellhound that was released from the meido stone. The next thing she knew, she was waking up with Sesshomaru and Shiori towering over her.

"**Is all of this because of me?" **she wondered. **"Would things really be better if I'd never been resurrected?"**

Shiori felt the sudden change in Rin's mood and slowly shifted her gaze towards her.

"Listen, we could sit here and play the blame game all day long," Miroku began, "or we could come up with a plan of action. I don't know about any of you, but I'm much more for the latter of the two options. I'd like for my family not to be casted into Hell."

"Miroku's right," agreed Kagome. "We have to do something. All of us are in the same boat here. We have to work together."

"If we can defeat King Enma and Megumi, then I'm sure are cruel fates will be lifted," he said. "Now, if we could only track them down King Enma."

"Impossible," Shiori somberly responded. "He can't exist in this world."

"What do you mean?"

Shiori looked to the heavens, "He can't exist in the land of the living. Hell has power over him. It doesn't allow him to be away for too long. Besides, the physical realm isn't strong enough for him to survive."

"Then, how was he able to find Megumi?" asked Sango.

"He's communicating with her the same way my Father used to communicate with me," She answered, "through his astral form."

"So that's why he's using her. King Enma can't directly attack us himself, so he needs a middle man to do it," Kagome concluded. "And Megumi is his middle man."

"Yes. Because she agreed to sell her soul, he was able to take control of her and transfer some of his own power to her."

"But why would he choose a human?" asked Inuyasha. "Why not use a strong demon to do his bidding?"

"I don't know," confessed Shiori. "That part doesn't quite make sense to me. I honestly wish I knew."

"We might not be able to locate Enma, but what about Megumi?" asked Kagome. "Can't you find her?"

"I can't find her scent anywhere. She didn't even leave a trail," Inuyasha told her. "It's like she vanished into thin air."

"Of course," explained Shiori. "That would be entirely too easy. She's concealing her essence from us."

"Then what are we suppose to do? Sit here and wait for her to attack us again?"

"Hang on, what did she mean back then? About some kind of war?" asked Kagome. "Remember?"

"Huh? You mean the war in the Netherworld?" asked Shiori.

Kagome shook her head, "no, not that one. She said something about this turning into a two front war. What could she have meant by that?"

Something suddenly clicked in her head as Shiori turned to Sesshomaru. For a moment, the two of them intently stared into each other's eyes. Rin thought that Shiori may have been communicating with Sesshomaru telepathically as she often did.

"Two front war? Do you think that King Enma intends to bring the war here?" asked Sango.

"I thought you said he couldn't survive in the physical realm, Shiori," said Inuyasha.

"He can't. The realm quality is too weak to sustain him," she paused. "But, there are some places in the land of the living that might be powerful enough for him to survive in. And if Hell permits it, he just might try it."

"What place could be powerful enough?" asked Kagome.

….

"What is it?" Emi asked as she rushed over to one of her screaming servants.

"My Queen, this is horrible! One minute I was doing my chores," the young tennin girl explained, "and the next, I'm feeling this burning sensation in my chest. When I checked to see what it was, I found this marking!"

Emi gasped as the girl revealed her mark to her. It was the exact same one that she had. More and more servants came running up to Emi, all bearing the same demonic face. The whole palace shook with chaos. 4 palace guards swooped in and kept the crowd away from her.

"Get back!" ordered one of the men. "All of you! Do not overwhelm the Queen like this!"

"But why is this happening?" asked one of the women. "Why?"

"How could we all have been given such an impure marking? It's impossible for anything demonic to even exist here!" said another one.

**"Not necessarily," **thought Emi. **"But none of them know about that."**

"This way, my Queen," said one of the guards as he escorted her away from the hysterical crowd. "The King needs to talk to you."

"Yes," she said with a nod. "I need to talk to him as well. This is very urgent."

The guards quickly led Emi down a long corridor into the King's wing. The castle staff tried to follow after them, but was immediately stopped by more guards. Emi could still hear their cries of confusion and terror. It was only natural that they would react in such a way. They'd been told for centuries that nothing evil could ever enter the sacred lands. Not once did they have to face any real problem. Even though Reika was an evil ruler, none of them found out about the horrible things she'd done until the end of her reign. The only people who knew, were the tennin that worked directly under her. They were also the ones who were regularly subjected to Reika's abuse. The general tennin population lived a very peaceful and carefree life. This was part of the reason why Shiori couldn't stand living there—life was just too good to be true. The entire population was kept in the dark. Now something treacherous was lurking in the lands, and this time it couldn't be easily covered up.

"You asked to see me, My Beloved?" asked Emi when she finally entered the room where Jirou was. He was soundly looking out a window, into the valley bellow.

"This is bad, Emi," he said to her. "It seems everyone in the Sacred Lands now bares this hideous mark."

She joined him by the window, "yes, I figured that. Everyone's frightened by it. What do you think it means?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "An evasion most likely."

"But why us? Why our lands?" Emi was on the verge of tears. "And who could be bold enough to try and threaten us here?"

"Someone who discovered that the trinkets we give to keep outside guest from being purified are fakes," he explained. "Someone who knows that it's possible to enter the Sacred Lands without being purified."

"Don't you dare suggest that my sister's the one behind this!" she hissed.

"Well who else could it be?" he snapped. "Who else knows the secret of the sacred lands?"

"There's a handful of other tennin that know the secret," she said. "If you want to go by that logic, then you should also suspect them as well."

He sighed deeply, "I'm sorry. That was a foolish thing to suggest."

Emi nodded as she fiercely turned away from Jirou, "yes it was. And now you've upset me."

Jirou gently wrapped his arms around Emi and reeled her in closely. She blushed as he lightly kissed her on the cheek.

"I apologize, my Queen," he whispered into her ear. "The last thing I want to do is upset you."

"Jirou, you're behaving awfully calm for someone who's nation is in trouble," she teased. Emi turned around to face her husband.

He smirked, "I'm just trying to comfort you, my Dear."

"Well, your attempts are in vain," she sadly told him. "I can't relax until I get to the bottom of this situation. Don't you hear their screams? Everyone's frightened."

"I know,"

At that moment, a servant came bursting into the room. He fell down to his knees and bowed before Jirou and Emi.

"I'm sorry for barging in here like this," he apologized. "But it's important!"

"What's happening now?" asked Jirou.

"I've just received word from the elders of the Eastern portion," he explained. "It seems that our lands sacred power is fading there."

"What?" gasped Emi. "Fading? How can this be?"

"Are you sure?" asked Jirou. "Are you absolutely positive?"

The servant nodded, "yes. They just sent us a message.

**"It's this mark," **pondered Emi. **"I'm absolutely certain of it. The second it showed up, there's been nothing but hysteria. And now, for some reason, the power of our world is slowly diminishing. This is all happening so quickly."**

"What shall we do now, my King?" asked the young servant.

"Isn't it obvious?" he responded. "We must prepare to defend ourselves."

"Against who though?"

"Anyone and everyone. If the sacred power over our lands is depleting, then we'll be open to attack by just about anyone," answered Jirou. "From here on out, no one is to enter or leave the Sacred Lands. Deliver that message."

"Yes, My King," nodded the servant before running out.

"But Jirou—" Emi began to protest.

"I'm sorry, Emi. You are forbidden from seeing your sister until we can figure out what's happening. No one can be trusted during such a vulnerable time."

She quietly stared at her husband before exiting the room. The moment she was gone, he ordered the guards to re enter. They stood before him, waiting for him to speak.

"Watch overher," Jirou ordered. "See to it that she doesn't attempt to leave the Sacred Lands."

"Understood, My King," they replied in perfect unison.

…..

"You can't be serious?" said Miroku. "You really think King Enma is trying to invade the Sacred Lands?"

"I'm quite certain," she answered.

"But I've heard that no demon could get anywhere near the lands due to its purifying powers," he said. "Its powers even rivaled that of Mount Hakurei."

"And we've all seen firsthand what Mount Hakurei did," answered Inuyasha. "There's no way he'd be stupid enough to try that."

**"It's not so stupid if you know the secret of the Sacred Lands," **she said, as she sent her thoughts to Sesshomaru. **"The truth is, it's entirely possible for a demon to remain unpurified in the Sacred Lands, if he or she is strong enough. I think King Enma somehow discovered the secret."**

"Hey! Can you talk so the rest of us can hear?" Inuyasha snorted. "Stop doing that! I feel like you two are conspiring something against the rest of us!"

"This is no time for any of your foolish ideas," Sesshomaru coldly responded.

"I can't really explain how," Shiori started. "But King Enma is definitely planning on striking the Sacred Lands."

"But why? What's he trying to accomplish?" asked Sango.

"It's because of the debt of 1000 souls, isn't it?" asked Rin.

Everyone immediately turned in her direction. She'd been silent for quite some time. She shifted her eyes to the ground to avoid looking in anyone's direction. Shiori felt Rin's heart swell with unbelievable sadness and guilt.

"He must want to kill all the tennin to make up for the debt,"

"If that's true, then going to the Sacred Lands is our best bet," said Miroku. "That's where we'll find King Enma."


	9. Sacred Water Ways

**I own nothing but my oc's**

* * *

><p>"Inuyasha, please settled down," Shiori complained as she stared into the river. "You're increasing the strength of my headache."<p>

"There's no way I'm just gonna sit here while everyone else gets to fight King Enma!" he barked. "No way!"

Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Shiori, and Jaken were all standing by a river. Sango and Shippo went back to the village with the children. Rin had gone with them. She didn't quite know where Sesshomaru wondered off to. He didn't like to linger around Inuyasha and his friends for too long.

Miroku frowned as he bonked the half demon over the head with his staff. Inuyasha angrily glared at the monk as he flexed his claws. A red vain popped in his head.

"And just what was that for?"

"Because," Miroku explained. "You're being unreasonable. Don't you understand? You and Shippo can't go into the Sacred Lands because of its purifying powers. How many times must we explain this to you?"

"It'll be just as it was at Mount Hakurei," said Shiori. "You'll be reverted to your useless human form."

"Did you just call me useless?"

"What? We've all seen you in your human form before. It's completely useless," said Shiori over her shoulder.

"I seem to remember saving your ass with my 'useless human form' from Jakostu!" he spat.

Shiori narrowed her eyes, "You only saved me with your 'useless human form' because I was in my 'useless tennin' form! It's just as 'useless' as your 'useless human form!'"

"It doesn't matter! Apparently I'm not all that 'useless' if I still managed to save your 'useless' ass!" he retorted.

"It does matter! If I weren't in my 'useless form', then you wouldn't had to save me with your 'useless form' and—" Shiori paused when she realized the stupidity of their argument. "We don't have time for this right now!"

"Ha, I guess that's final you little half vermin!" Jaken jeered. "Looks like you're sitting this one out!"

"You realize that you won't be coming either, right?" Kagome asked him.

Jaken's mouth hung open, "I…I won't get to accompany Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Demon's cannot go into the Sacred Lands without a special charm. Sesshomaru is the only one of us that has one," said Miroku.

"Can't you get me one as well?" Inuyasha asked Shiori. "It's not fair!"

"I can't," she sharply replied. "They are only a limited amount of them. So please, stop whinning."

"But Shiori, didn't you say that the air in the Sacred Lands is much weaker than the air of Mount Hakurei was?" asked Kagome.

"Yeah, I was able get pretty close to the mountain before being purified," said Inuyasha. "So I should be fine."

**"I really shouldn't bring him into the Sacred Lands, but they're right. There's a chance he might be able to survive. As long as nothing happens to the Tessaiga." **Thought Shiori staring into the water.** "Both Tessaiga and Bakusaiga have strong demonic auras. They'll be unaffected by the purifying powers. It's possible that Tessaiga will act as a barrier around Inuyasha. But what if he discovers the secret of the Sacred Lands?"**

"Uh, Shiori?" asked Kagome. "What are you doing? You've been looking into the river for about 10 minutes now."

"She always does that," said Jaken. "She's says she's trying see visions in the water or something. If you ask me, I think it sounds ridiculous!"

Shiori causally knocked Jaken into the river, "No one asked you!"

"But there's something I don't quite understand myself," asked Miroku. "How are _you_ able to go into the Sacred Lands without being purified?"

"I go to visit my sister quite frequently. So, naturally, I would have a bracelet as well," Shiori responded.

Miroku seemed satisfied with her answer. Kagome, on the other hand, could sense that something was amiss.

**"Why do I get the feeling that she's hiding something?"** she thought while looking into her eyes. **"But what reason could she have for keeping secrets from us?"**

** "It would appear that Kagome's suspicious of me," **pondered. **"Is it because I hesitated a little before speaking? I'll need to be more careful with my actions."**

"Speaking of your sister," said Inuyasha. "Isn't she like…..the queen now, or something? Shouldn't she have some information on what's going on?"

"I don't really know,"

"Well that's why we should go now, right?"

Shiori turned back to the river, "King Enma won't strike until we've arrived. He may have made his presence known to the tennin, but I don't think he's going to attack yet. Being able to set foot in the physical world is a huge accomplishment for him. "

"I see, he just wants to kill us all at once."

"Then what the Hell are we sitting around here for? Let's go already! Sesshomaru can just catch up to us later," Inuyasha fussed.

"We can't just go rushing in like this," explained Shiori. "There are certain rules that must be followed regarding outsiders. So we must wait for Emi's say so."

"But what if she doesn't come? It's almost nightfall," Kagome informed.

**"I know that," **thought Shiori. **"Why hasn't Emi come to find me? I know she bares the mark of King Enma as well. She was with us in the Netherworld. So, why isn't she here yet?"**

"I'm worried about Emi," said a worried Kagome. "I hope nothing horrible happened to her. She's such a sweet girl."

"Yeah, it's so weird that she's your sister," Inuyasha jeered. "She's like your polar opposite!"

"When it comes down to it," said Shiori, obviously uninterested, "We're really not that different."

She, once again, tried purifying the water. But her attempts were in vain. No matter how hard she trained, she still didn't have Emi's ability. She couldn't use the sacred waters to her advantage.

**"But I have to know," **she thought. **"I need to know if she's okay. It's bad enough that I can't communicate with my father."**

…..

Emi slowly paced the floor of her room as she listened for sounds in the corridor. She could hear minor chit-chat among the guards. So, they were still posted outside her room? Jirou had given them orders to monitor the Queen and contain her in the Sacred Lands. Emi felt as if they were trying to keep her trapped in her room. If she were going to escape, she had to do something about them. Emi slowly slid open the door to her room.

"Oh, hello gentlemen," she cheerfully greeted, stepping into the hall. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Nice try, My Queen," one of them answered. "You know we were sent to guard you."

"Oh you were? I must've…forgotten," she began to make her way down the hall.

"Where are you off to, Dearest Queen?"

"I…just thought I'd go take a nice hot bath. I'll need something to take my mind of the evil that's plaguing are gracious land," she suddenly looked flustered as her face turned bright pink. "That is…unless you've been ordered to accompany me there as well. Are you going to watch as I bathe myself? It'll be horribly humiliating. But I suppose if my beloved has ordered you so…I don't have a choice."

Emi looked down as she fought back her tears. The guards looked at each other and instantly dropped to their knees. Both of them began frantically bowing at Emi's feet.

"No, don't cry Queen Emi!" one of them shouted, in between bows. "Please don't cry!"

"Yeah, we won't follow you into the bathhouse! We'll stay here until you've finished!" said the other.

Emi dried her eyes and looked down at them, "really? Oh thank-you so much. I truly appreciate this. I'm off now."

The guards returned to their original positions and Emi headed for the bath. She smirked as she discreetly looked over her shoulder at the two.

**"I can't believe they fell for that!" **she giggled to herself.

Emi quickly stepped inside the indoor bathhouse and barricaded the door behind her. Slowly, she removed her kimono and step into the warm inviting waters.

**"Since no one will tell me exactly what's going on," **she thought as she sprinkled purifying dust over the water. **"I'll need to do my own research. I wonder if Shiori knows anything…."**

Suddenly, and image of Shiori appeared in the water. Her violet eyes stared up at Emi with wonder and shock. Emi was also shocked. She appeared to be looking directly at her.

"Emi? Can you…can you hear me?" asked Shiori.

Emi quickly covered her mouth to keep from squealing. Not only could Shiori see her, but she could hear here as well. That had never happened before! In fact, Emi didn't even know it was possible.

"I can," she softly answered. "I don't how, but I really can!"

Shiori yanked Jaken by the collar and held him over the water.

"You can see her too, right? It's not just me?" she asked him.

"Eh, yes. She's definitely there!" he frowned.

"And you too Kagome?"

"Uh…well, yes," she uneasily answered. "But, you see….she's….."

"Oh my, what a delightful sight!" Miroku exclaimed. "Such delicate features! What a fine physique!"

"Why the hell is she naked?" Inuyasha bluntly asked.

This time, Emi didn't try to stop from squealing. She folded her arms across her chest and turned to the side.

"Don't look at me!" she wailed.

But both Inuyasha and Miroku continued starring at the young tennin girl. For some reason, they couldn't look away from her.

Shiori sighed, "Kagome…."

"I'm on it!" she snapped as she eyed Inuyasha. "Sit boy!"

Inuyasha fell face first into the river and distorted the image a little. She then struck Miroku over the head with his own staff. He too fell into the river.

"Hmph! The nerve of you two!" she scoffed.

"Terribly sorry for interrupting you during your bath," said Shiori. "But, I think it'd be best if you were to cover up. You're causing my friends to revert into their natural horn-dog states."

"I'm not a horn dog!" Inuyasha snapped.

"Sit!" Kagome commanded.

With that, he fell back into the river.

"I wasn't looking at her!" he angrily huffed as he popped out of the river. "I was looking at the mark! She has it too!"

"Too? You mean you have it as well?" asked Emi.

Miroku nodded, "I'm afraid we all do. This is particular mark is known as King Enma's kiss."

"King Enma?" she shrieked. "You mean the ultimate supreme ruler of Hell? That King Enma? Why what's going on over there? Shiori, what did you do?"

Shiori rolled her eyes, "Calm down already! I'll tell you, but it's a long story."

"Well it's not like I have anywhere to go, so talk away!" she cheerfully replied.

**"I'll never understand her rapid mood swings," **Shiori bleakly thought.

….

Rin quickly ran through the forest. Her goal was to get as far away as possible. With all of the commotion and confusion, she was easily able to slip away from everyone. Now, she was racing alone into the setting sun.

**"Just a little further," **she thought while panting.

She managed to cover a great amount of distance. If she could just keep going. Rin looked over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being followed. Just as she averted her eyes back forward, Sesshomaru had jumped down in front of her.

"Kya!" she yelped as she skidded to a halt.

She nearly slammed right into him! Just where on Earth did the demon lord come from? Sesshomaru carefully glanced over the young priestess. As usual, he did not look amused. Rin tried her hardest not to stare into his cold amber eyes.

"Uh, Lord Sesshomaru….what are you doing here?" she sheepishly asked.

"I could ask you the same question," he coolly responded. "Just where do you think you're going?"

"Who me?" Rin folded her hands behind her back and innocently looked to the side, "I was going for a stroll. You know, getting some fresh air."

"Rin," he firmly said. "Do you play me for a fool?"

She hung her head, "no My Lord, I do not."

"Go back," he calmly ordered as he walked pass her.

Rin sank down on all fours and began silently crying. Sesshomaru stopped when caught the scent of her tears lingering in the air.

"I can't go back," she said. "I'm nothing but a burden to everyone. This is all my fault Lord Sesshomaru. If it weren't for me, King Enma wouldn't be out to kill everyone. If I hadn't died, you wouldn't have had to save me from Hell. This is all my fault."

"Rin," called Sesshomaru.

She turned to look at him over her shoulder, "Yes, My Lord?"

"Stop this," he said. "Now, take a minute to collect yourself and return to the village."

"But Lord Sesshomaru—"

But he wouldn't even let her finish, "Don't ever refer to yourself in such a matter ever again. You are not a burden."

Rin stood up and dried her eyes, "I'm not?"

Sesshomaru was already walking away from her. She helpless looked after him. She just didn't know what to do. Even though Sesshomaru told her she wasn't a burden, she still felt like one. But it meant a lot to her that he would go through the trouble to find her. It was just like he would when she was a young child. Rin smiled to herself as she followed after Sesshomaru.

"**If there's anything I can do to help out," **she thought. **"Then I won't hesitate to do it."**

…

"I see," said Emi as she listened to Shiori's explanation. "So it is the Grandmaster of Hell that's behind all of this. I just can't believe he'd go this far for revenge."

Shiori sighed, "I should've expected this. He gave up too easily when I fought him years ago."

"Then he's the one's that weakening the Sacred Lands," Emi concluded.

"Weakening the Sacred Lands? What do you mean?" Shiori asked. Inuyasha, Miroku, and Kagome were also interested.

"Shortly after these marks showed up on all the tennin people," she began. "We received word that the sacred power of our spiritual land is weakening in certain places. I'm worried that all of the sacred power will soon diminish."

Shiori gasped, "So that's it then. In order for King Enma to open up a portal to hell and raise his army, he first must drastically weaken the spiritual powers of the Sacred Lands. We must go immediately."

"I'm afraid you can't," said Emi sadly. "Jirou forded anyone from leaving or entering the Sacred Lands. He's afraid of someone discovering our secret when we're in such a vulnerable state."

"Secret, what secret?" asked Kagome.

"Emi, if we're going to help you," said Shiori, ignoring Kagome. "Then you have to convince Jirou to let us in."

"I can't. He's so stubborn at times," huffed Emi. "He never listens anything I say when he acts like this. But I still love him!"

"Sounds like someone else I know," Shiori muttered. **"Hey, where is that hellhound of mine? I wish he'd come back already…."**

"I'm not even sure I'm supposed to be talking to you right now," Emi continued. "I was just trying to spy on you, not talk to you directly."

"Yeah, I'm still not even sure how this is possible," Shiori confessed. "Maybe it's because both us were trying to reach each other at the same time. It may have been our strong wills that caused our connection."

"Sort of like when Inuyasha and I were separated by time and desperately wanted to be together," Kagome added.

Inuyasha turned a slight shade of red and pretended to turn away. Kagome laughed as she rested her head on his shoulder. Shiori silently watched their gestures.

"Emi, if Jirou won't let us in, then it must be you. As soon as our conversation is done, you must find a way to escape the castle and go to the entrance of the Sacred Lands. That way, you can let us inside. As Queen, you have the ability to do so. Do you think you can?"

"I'll try," she replied. "It's going to take some major effort on my part, but I think I can do it."

Just then, she heard a loud knock on the door. It was the guards!

"My Queen! You've been in there for an awfully longtime! Are you alright?"

"Uh….just a second! I'm almost finished," she called.

"Who are you talking to in there? Is someone with you?

"Emi, who's there?" asked Shiori.

"Guards put in place of watching me," she answered. "If I'm going to escape, I'll need to take care of them first."

"Then go ahead, but hurry," Shiori replied.

"I will. Oh, and Shiori?"

"Yes?"

Emi paused and lowered her head, "please, be careful."

Shiori nodded, "You too, my sister."

Her image slowly disappeared from the water. Emi was now completely alone in the bathhouse. All she could hear were the loud thuds coming from outside. The guards were becoming impatient. Emi quickly cleared the door and slid it open. She found herself face to face with her guards.

"Is everything alright? We heard you talking to someone," one of them said.

"Forgive me for this," said Emi sweetly.

"Eh? What are you talking ab-"

Emi dealt him a sharp jab in the solar plexus. He passed out on the ground before her very feet. The other guard stared at her in complete horror.

"My Queen…how could you!"

He didn't have much time to retaliate. She quickly latched onto his shoulders and shocked him. He too dropped down to the floor. Thinking quickly, Emi dragged the two men inside, tied and gagged them, and tossed them into a corner.

"I'm really sorry about this," she said as she closed the door behind her and took off. "But I have a mission to accomplish."

…..

"We have to go now," Shiori ordered. "I don't know how quickly it'll take her to get to the boarder, but we must go now. Inuyasha, it looks like you'll be coming with us after all."

"I'll return to the village to retrieve Sango and Rin," said Miroku. "You guys go on ahead. I'll meet you near the cave."

"Heh, sounds good to me!" said Inuyasha allowing Kagome to climb on his back. "Finally, some action."

"What about Sesshomaru?" asked Kagome.

"He'll probably meet us there as well," she answered, as she jumped into the air."Let's go Inuyasha."

"On my way!"

"Eh?" shrieked Jaken. "No, wait! Don't leave me here alone! Where's Lord Sesshomaru?"

…..

Kaede slept peacefully, while the children ran around the hut. Sango hoped that they'd go straight to sleep after exerting so much energy. They'd had a long day. Suddenly, she heard a noise outside the hut.

"Mother?" asked Hiroshi. "Is something wrong?"

Sango didn't speak. She stared at the door and waited for any signs of movements. When it finally slid open, Sango was nearly brought to tears.

"Kohaku!" she happily exclaimed.

"Hello Sango," he greeted her. "It's been awhile hasn't it? I apologize for th—"

But Sango cut him off before he could finished. She wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace. The children also sprang on him.

"Uncle!" they cried. "Uncle!"

"I'm happy to see you all as well," he responded.

"Kirara! You're here too?" she said as the little cat demon jumped into her arms. "I've missed you so much!"

"Oh, Kohaku's returned?" said Kaede sitting up. "My, what a handsome man you've grown into."

"Do you…really think so?" he asked, blushing.

"Of course dear," she responded. "So, what brings you here?"

"Well, I was hoping you all could shed some light on this," he asked as he opened up his kimono.

Sango gasped when realized what he was showing her. Her younger brother also bore the mark of King Enma.

….

Inuyasha and Shiori zipped through the treetops as they raced towards the Sacred Lands. Kagome held onto Inuyasha for dear life. She'd never seen Inuyasha move so fast before! Luckily for her, she only had to endure this for a little while longer. They were almost to the secret cave entrance. But there appeared to be something up ahead. They could all sense it. Someone was waiting for them.

"Inuyasha, who's that?" Kagome asked as they came closer. He didn't recognize the scent. It wasn't Megumi.

"No, this can't be possible," gasped Shiori. "It can't be her."

"Can't be who?"

But Shiori's suspicions were confirmed. Standing before them was none other than Nekuma.

"Hello my precious little angel," she called out to Shiori. "Thought you'd seen the last of me, didn't you?"

"How did you escape?" Shiori demanded to know.

"Who is that?" asked Inuyasha as Kagome climbed down from his back.

"My worst nightmare," Shiori angrily replied.

"Hey, that's not very nice," Nekuma laughed. "You must be punished now. I think I'll start by ripping that head of yours of your shoulders!"


	10. The Race to the Purified Lands

**I own nothing but my o.c's...blah, blah, blah can we get to the story now?**

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><p>A wicked smile played across Nekuma's pale face as she held the group in her gaze. She made icy chills run down Shiori's spine just by looking at her. What was she doing out of her cave prison?<p>

"How did you escape?" Shiori demanded to know.

"Wouldn't you like to know, darling?" she answered. "Isn't this great? After watching for so long, now I get to be a part of something. It feels so good to be free!"

Shiori carefully surveyed the area, searching for any loose felines.

"And you must be this Inuyasha that I've heard so much about. The youngest son of the Great Dog General," said Nekuma. "What cute ears you have. They remind me of my own! How adorable."

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

"I'm Nekuma the Great!" she boldly proclaimed. "I was a friend of your Father's. Well, friend may not be the most appropriate word to use. But now Shiori and I are friends, isn't that right?"

"Enma set you free didn't he?" Shiori asked.

"It's possible," she slyly answered. "It's also possible that he ordered me to keep you from entering the Sacred Lands just yet. But….that's all just speculation. If you want to go in, you'll have to through me first!"

"Heh, you've just said the magic words," said Inuyasha, drawing his sword. "I'll slice you up into bits and serve you on a silver platter to Enma himself!"

"Oh, does the little doggy also want to play with me? Alright then," she said manifesting a shadow ball from the palm of her hand. "Fetch!"

Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shiori dove out of the way. Nekuma moved so quickly, that it was difficult to tell when she'd strike next. She suddenly appeared directly behind him.

"Inuyasha!" called Kagome. "Behind you!"

He turned just in time and blocked her sharp claws with the Tessaiga. Nekuma grinned.

"You're pretty good aren't you little half demon?" she taunted. "I'll definitely enjoy tearing you a part."

Inuyasha jumped away to avoid Nekuma's claws once more.

"Oh, I remember this sword! Such found memories!" she sang. "But both you and the sword are to be destroyed!"

"Not on your life, witch!" he hollered.

Just then, Nekuma sprang away from Inuyasha, narrowly escaping being sliced by Shiori.

"Silly girl, I haven't forgotten about you," she teased. "Don't worry, my beloved. I'll give you all the attention you desire!"

Nekuma ruthlessly pursued Shiori back into the forest. Each time she thought she came close to striking her, Shiori would escape at the last moment. It seemed she was always out of her reach.

"**I can't let Nekuma follow us into the Sacred Land. She's definitely strong enough to avoid being purified. We already have enough foes to deal with! If I can just lead her away from the entrance."**

"Shiori!" Inuyasha called after her.

"If I were you, I'd be less worried about her," called Nekuma, "and more concern about what's right in front of me!"

**"Huh? What's she going on about now?" **Inuyasha thought.

Suddenly, he caught on to a new scent. He and Kagome quickly turned around to find a swarm of cats steadily coming their way. Kagome grabbed onto Inuyasha's arm as she watched them approach. Something about the felines just didn't feel right.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed.

The strange felines began to glow with an ominous aura. Inuyasha took a step back and watched as they began morphing into disastrous demons. The pair found themselves surrounded by hideously disfigured cat creatures.

"Heh, piece of cake," said Inuyasha with a smirk. "Windscar!"

….

"I warned you of what happened when I escaped," shouted Nekuma as she shot a series of blast at Shiori. "You should've killed me when you had the chance."

Shiori smirked, "you're right. I should've killed you. That was my mistake for thinking you'd be perfectly contained in that cave forever. But I'm willing to correct that mistake."

"You don't like me very much, do you Angel of Darkness?" Nekuma teased.

"That's a bit of an understatement," Shiori bluntly said.

"Well lucky for you, they still like me," she said happily.

Shiori's heart froze, "they? Who are you talking about?"

She heard a loud mewing from all around her. Nekuma brought her cats along with her.

"You didn't think mother would travel without her children, did you?" Nekuma taunted. "Foolish little hybrid."

But Shiori wasn't paying her any mind. Her attention was on the approaching felines. They were creeping closer….and closer. Shiori couldn't help but think about her torture in Hell. At one point during the ordeal, she was surrounded by various cats. She could feel their icy glares as they sunk their claws into her flesh.

"Is something wrong, dear?" Nekuma mockingly asked her. "You're being awfully quiet for some reason. Oh yes, that's right. You don't like cats…do you? Interesting that you aren't afraid of cat demons," she stepped closer. "But when it comes to common felines, you get weak in the knees. Why? It's not like they can hurt you or anything, dear."

"**I know that, but for some reason," **thought Shiori to herself as she clutched her fist. **"I still can't make myself move. Why?"**

Suddenly, she sensed a pure demonic energy wave off in the distance. Just as Nekuma was about to attack her, She was sent flying back by a brilliant green light. The cats that survived the blast quickly scurried away.

"Sesshomaru, you're here," She noted when he finally came into view.

He coolly glanced at Shiori. She could easily tell that he wasn't too thrilled with her at the moment.

"What were you thinking about?" he suddenly asked her.

"I was thinking about my next move," she told him.

He folded his arms, "You were thinking about Hell again, weren't you? That's why you weren't able to move."

She looked away to avoid answering him. There was no use lying to him, he clearly knew the truth.

"I'm beginning to think you just go looking for trouble," he sighed.

Shiori smiled, "in my defense, it was _you _who introduced us."

"Lady Shiori! Are you okay?" asked Rin, running up behind them. Jaken was also running with them. Looks like he was able to find Sesshomaru after all. "There are so many cats! How did you survive this?"

"Rin?" said Shiori with surprise, "Didn't you go back to the village? Miroku went back to get you and Sango."

"Uh….well," she stammered.

"All of you are to get out of here. You'll just get in the way," said Sesshomaru.

"**I can feel her energy," **Shiori thought. **"Nekuma's still alive even though she was hit with an attack from the Bakusaiga. She definitely is not one to take lightly. I can't allow her into the Sacred Lands.**

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken answered. "You heard the man! Stay clear of him!"

Jaken and Rin were already moving away from him and running back towards the edge of the mountain. But Shiori stood her ground. She knew that Nekuma was a powerful foe. Even the Great Dog Demon had difficulty killing him. Shiori felt uneasy about leaving Sesshomaru to deal with her on his own.

"You're still here?" he asked. "I thought I said to leave this place."

"I'm not leaving you alone with that beast," she responded.

"You have more important things to deal with at the moment," he firmly said. "Leave."

"I can't—"

Sesshomaru sharply stared her dead in the eye.

"Shiori, listen to me. You can't worry about my life right now. You have other things to worry about," he told her as he gently cupped her face in his hands.

"You act like that's such a simple task. How can you expect me not to worry about you?" she asked, suddenly filled with anger.

"Because I'm not giving you a choice right now," he said stroking her hair as he looked out the corner of his eye. Nekuma's scent was filling the air.

"Fine then. When you're finished with her, go into the cave and take the very last path on the left. Wait for me there," she told him.

"I will,"

She rested her head against his chest. She had a feeling that they wouldn't see each other for awhile. Shiori could sense the oncoming danger, but she couldn't bring herself to let go just yet. She couldn't help but think of Sesshomaru's dead body lying in a sea of decayed bones. As much as Shiori tried to forget that hellish image, it forever stayed in her mind.

"**Why am I thinking of this now?" **she thought. **"This isn't helping anything…."**

"Shiori,"

"Yes, My Lord?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

"Try not to do anything reckless until I get there," he flatly said.

"I believe you've gotten caught up in the moment and forgotten who you're talking to," she joked.

Shiori turned to leave, but Sesshomaru latched onto her wrist and gently pulled her back. She was once again face to face with her beloved demon lord. But something about his expression had changed.

Sesshomaru gingerly cupped Shiori's chin and pulled it closer to hers.

"I mean it," he whispered as he closed his eyes. "I will not lose you again, do you understand me?"

"I understand," she confidently answered.

He softly pressed his lips against her's. Shiori barely had time to enjoy the kiss. Just as quickly as it was initiated, it was over! Sesshomaru quickly released her and pushed her back.

"Go!" he barked.

"**As usual, Lord Hellhound slays the mood!" **she thought as she was running away. **"What was all of that about anyway? Sesshomaru never behaves with such intimacy in a public setting. And certainly not when we're so close to danger!"**

As soon as Shiori was out of sight, Nekuma arrived back to the battlefield. She angrily searched around for the half tennin.

"You!" she spat at Sesshomaru. "How dare you? I'll make you pay for that!"

"And I'll make you sorry you ever left your confinement," he coldly proclaimed.

…...

"Finally you decided to show up!" Jaken complained when Shiori finally caught up to him and Rin. "You took forever with that! The Lord told us to leave! And when he says to leave, you must promptly do so and—"

"Jaken," Shiori cut in. "Shut-up…"

"What were you talking to Lord Sesshomaru about?" asked Rin as they raced back toward the mountain.

"Nothing," Shiori immediately answered.

"Hmph," Jaken scoffed. "You sure answered that pretty quickly! Just what were doing back there?"

Shiori tried to keep from turning red, "I thought I told you to shut-up?"

"Lady Shiori! Do you feel those demonic auras?" asked Rin as they raced back toward the mountain.

"I do," she answered. "I've felt them for quite some time. They must've come with Nekuma."

"Oh that woman back there? Who was she?"

"She was an old enemy of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's father. She was my father's enemy as well," Shiori responded. "She was sealed away in a cave until very recently. It seemed King Enma wasn't quite finished recruiting henchmen. We have to get back there"

"You mean to that mountain up ahead?" asked Rin. "Is this where the entrance to your homeland is?"

"Yes," Shiori answered. "Sesshomaru is going to buy us sometime to escape into the Sacred Lands from Nekuma. But I still don't understand why she attacked us. I thought King Enma wanted us go into the lands. Megumi was the one who hinted the plan in the first place."

"Could it be that they didn't anticipate our arrival being so soon?" asked Jaken.

"Maybe," Shiori replied.

They finally made it back to the edge of the mountain where Inuyasha and Kagome were being attacked by cat demons. The more Inuyasha cut down, the more seemed to spring back up.

"Geez! Where the hell are these things coming from!" he grunted. "Why won't they just die?"

Kagome tried to assist Inuyasha with her sacred arrows, but it was no use. They were multiplying! Inuyasha quickly sprung up and scooped up Kagome bridal style. He just missed saving her from being sliced in half by one of the beasts.

Shiori heavily sighed, "3 cat orgies in one day? Someone must seriously hate me!"

"What are those disgusting things?" Jaken asked.

"Oni spirits trapped in the bodies of cats," Shiori confidently answered.

"So then they're zombies?"

Shiori nodded, "They're probably souls Nekuma didn't find to her liking. She trapped them and used them to do her bidding. Those unfortunate souls are unable to cross over due to Nekuma's dark magic. How sad."

"We have to help them fight!" said a worried Rin.

"All though there numbers are great, they aren't very strong," Shiori observed.

"I don't understand why Lady Kagome's sacred arrows didn't destroy them,"Rin comment.

"It's possible they require stronger purification. Although, they don't seem to be that strong," Shiori observed. "There's no need fighting to the point of exhaustion. They're just going to continue gathering their bodies back together. They're even withstanding Inuyasha's windscar."

Shiori suddenly turned to Jaken. The little imp tried to avoid her uncomfortable stare.

"Jaken, I have a job for you," Shiori cheerfully said. "I hope you're up to it."

"**Her smile scares me more than Lord Sesshomaru's!" **he thought.

"No need to be afraid, Jaken…" she evilly said.

"That's no very reassuring at all! I'll have no part of what ever scheme you've got cooking!" he huffed.

"I'm not usually one to throw my rank around," said Shiori. "But are you refusing to obey an order of the Princess of the Netherworld?"

Jaken gulped, "you….you're just trying to scare me! You know you have jurisdiction here!"

"Very true," she nodded. "It's too bad I'm not the Lady of the Western Lands as well. Oh, wait."

"Ack, why me?" Jaken grumbled.

"**She can be really vindictive when she wants to be,"** Rin laughed to herself.

…..

"Inuyasha!" called Kagome. "There's too many of them!"

"Adamant Barrage!" he shouted, releasing hundreds of diamonds shards from his sword. "Damn it! They won't stay down!"

More and more of the creatures generated from the grounds. Kagome did her best to shoot as many of them as she could, but nothing seemed to work.

"I'm running out of arrows!" she informed him. "What are we gonna do now?"

"**We're getting nowhere at this rate! Where the hell are Sango and Miroku? Shouldn't they have been here by now?" **Inuyasha angrily thought as he smashed through more demons.

"Feel the power of the staff of two heads you rascals!" shouted Jaken as he unleashed fire from his staff.

Suddenly, the cat creatures were showered in a wave of fire. Many of them began to wither away. Inuyasha and Kagome jumped back to avoid being struck.

"This way!" called Shiori.

Inuyasha tossed Kagome onto his back and hurried after her.

"Do you mind telling me what the hell is going on?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Yes, I do. We're running on a very tight schedule, Inuyasha," she shot back. "Just follow me!"

The four of them made it into the cave safely. Once Jaken's staff died down, he found himself swamped with demons.

"Geh! Lord Sesshomaru!" he called as he was chased off by the pack of demons. "Save me!"

...

"Lady Shiori! Some are still following after us!" Rin informed.

They looked back at the 4 cat demons gunning behind them.

"It's alright. They won't be able to for much longer! Keep to the left!" she ordered.

They travelled further and further into the caves. The monstrous demons continued hunting them down. Just as Rin's legs were about to give out, Shiori latched onto her arm zipped off.

"Hey!" Inuyasha angrily called after them. "Wait up!"

They were so far ahead, that Inuyasha had no choice but to follow their scent.

"We've gotta lose some of these guys," he said drawing his weapon. "Kagome! Hang on."

"Okay!" she responded as she clung tighter to his body.

"Windscar!" he cried unleashing his power. The blast distracted the creatures long enough for the duel to continue their journey.

"That stupid girl! Leaving us behind like that!" he muttered.

"Inuyasha! Run faster! They're coming!" Kagome shouted.

"Will you shut-up? I'm working on it!" he fired back.

He quickly followed after Shiori's scent until he came to a dead end. Kagome climbed down from Inuyasha's back and surveyed the area. Had they taken a wrong turn?

"Their scents stop right here," said Inuyasha sniffing around. "I'm sure of it."

"Then this is it, the entrance to the Sacred World! But, how are we supposed to get in?" Kagome wondered as she pressed her hand against the stone wall. **"It's so warm. I can practically feel the spiritual power from beyond this cave wall."**

She turned to find Inuyasha standing in front of her with his read Tessaiga.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm busting in! There's obviously some sort of barrier here, so I'm gonna break it!" he declared.

"Inuyasha! This is a sacred place! You can't just run in there flaring your weapon," she scolded. "Besides, your sword only works on demonic barriers, not sacred ones."

"Okay fine, then you break it!" he fussed.

"I'm not so sure I can," she responded.

"Kagome," said Inuyasha coldly as he backed into her. "Stay back. Those things are on their way."

Kagome backed into the stone wall and waited for the creatures to emerge from the darkness. Inuyasha was directly in front of Kagome and had his back towards her. He switched back to Tessaiga's normal blade and waited as well.

"I'm done running. It's time to end this!" he shouted. "I'm sick of these things coming after us!"

Just as the creatures leaped towards the back of the cave, the pair was pulled through the stone wall. The creatures were knocked back by a blinding purple haze.

"Sorry, no pussyfoots allowed," Shiori jeered as she phased through the rock to replace Inuyasha and Kagome.

The cats scrambled back to their feet for a second attack. The entire cave flickered with a brilliant pink light. Shiori placed her palm on the side of the cave wall and was also bathed with the same light. Soon, the demonic creatures were overwhelmed by this purifying light. Before they had anytime to turn back, their bodies shriveled up and reverted to dust. Shiori quietly bowed her head and silently prayed over the departed souls.

"I really hate cats, but at least they're now free." she whispered before disappearing back into the rock.

* * *

><p><strong>Dude, we made it to the 10th chapter! What does everyone think so far? Reviews please! lol<strong>


	11. Hikari's Legacy

**I own nothing...yada yada, blah blah, only my oc's...rada rada raaadaaa, I'm not Rumiko Takahashi...yip yip, okay let's go!**

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><p>Kagome slowly regained consciousness and yawned softly. She had nearly forgotten the events that occurred. Where was she? What happened to Inuyasha? She soon got her answer when she heard a muffled snore coming from beside her. Both Inuyasha and Rin were lying soundly beside her. All three of them had been carefully placed on futons.<p>

_'Huh? Who did this?' _she thought. _'What's…going on?'_

"Everyone's looking for you by now,"

Kagome heard Shiori's voice coming from outside the room. Was she talking to her through the screen door? Kagome tried to get up, but for some reason she felt drained. She crawled her way over to the door. Shiori's silhouette was visible through the screen as well as another's.

"I don't think so," Emi answered. "I'm willing to bet Jirou hasn't even noticed I'm gone."

_'That sounds like Emi,'_ thought Kagome. _'Emi….oh, that's right! I remember now. We finally made it to the Sacred Lands. Maybe that's why I feel so weak. My body's just not use to the purified air here.'_

Kagome cracked open the door to see what was going on. Emi and Shiori were both seated around an empty fire pit. Neither one of them seemed to notice her.

"They will when your two guards wake up. What will happen to you then?" asked Shiori.

Emi frowned, "I don't know. I suppose he'll become enraged and then send more troops to find me. I'm sure he'll guess I'm with you. I don't think he expected for you to be here. So he'll send some of his troops out of the Sacred Lands. It's important that we stay hidden while we have this advantage."

"And you're sure he can't see us through the Sacred Waters?" Shiori worriedly asked.

"I'm positive,"

"Sending your troops away when you know there's a demonic presence threatening your lands?" Shiori wondered. "What a foolish move on Jirou's part."

"It's not foolish. He just wants to know I'm safe. He'd do whatever he could to protect me," Emi pouted. "Jirou _is _my beloved husband after all. He would never hurt me, Shiori," Emi concluded.

"How can you be so sure?"

Emi widely stared at her sister. Was she serious?

"How can you even ask me a question like that, Shiori? I trust him," she paused. "Don't you trust Sesshomaru?"

Shiori tried to avoid Emi's uncomfortable gaze, "I do trust him…"

"Oh really? Then why didn't you tell him about the Megumi situation?" Emi questioned. "Why did you try to keep that a secret?"

"...because," she uneasily answered.

"Because why?"

"I have a better question," said Shiori, changing the subject. "Why didn't you inform me of your 'condition'? I never would have agreed to any of this had you told me prior."

"Condition? What are you talking about?" asked Emi nervously. "I don't have a condition."

She heavily sighed, "Emi, I've known you far too long. I can tell when you're acting dumb, or simply being dumb."

"Oh Shiori, I know you don't actually mean that!" she said with a smile. "You're so silly!"

"Don't change the subject!" Shiori ordered.

"Well you did!" Emi shot back.

"I already know so you might as well just tell me!"

"Shiori, what are you talking about? You're really starting to scare me now," Emi worriedly expressed. "Stop being so weird.."

Shiori softly placed her hand on her sister's lower belly and gingerly looked into her eyes. Emi's eyes quelled with emotion. There was no use hiding it anymore.

"You could tell all along?"

Shiori nodded, removing her hand away from her sister, "it's very faint, but I can sense it."

The thought of her becoming a mother was such a wonderful feeling! She often tried not to think about it. But her happiness was put on pause when she noticed Shiori's gloomy expression.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you'd react like this…" said Emi sadly.

"I just don't want you to get hurt," said Shiori. "Especially now…"

"You don't need to worry, Shiori. I'll be okay," she beamed.

"Well we still have other matters, like what to do with them," said Shiori dryly. "This is their first time passing into the Sacred Lands. I imagine it's taken a huge toll on their bodies."

"I'll go bring them some herbs then," said Emi rising to her feet.

"You can't go out there," Shiori snapped. "They'll find you and drag you straight back to the castle. Then, they'll come here. As long as you're with us, they won't attack."

"They won't attack you anyway," she assured her. "It's illegal to kill a human. Remember? If word gets out that the King issued the murder of a human, the people will go into an outrage."

"The people are already in an outrage. Have you already forgotten about the lovely tattoos King Enma gave us?"

Emi hung her head, "I haven't forgotten. But that's why we need to get moving now. Since you're all here now, it would be best to head towards the East. That's where the power of the Sacred Lands is weakening the fastest. But I don't know how we'll get there. If we fly, they'll see us."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Shiori said with a smirk.

She moved over to the far right corner of the hut and banged on the bare wood floor boards.

"That sounds hollow," said Emi. She gapped as Shiori pulled up the floor board revealing a dark hole. "You didn't?"

"I did, I created this tunnel a long time ago," said Shiori proudly. "It goes pretty far too."

"Wait a minute, is this how you always managed to disappear whenever we got in trouble?"

"Maybe, maybe not," said Shiori as she closed up the tunnel.

Emi angrily crossed here eyes, "I hate it when you say that."

"I had to find a way to stay occupied while everyone else did rituals."

Emi just stared at her sister with disbelief. Why on Earth would she take the time to do that?

Shiori casually turned her head and spotted Kagome's eyes peering at her. Shiori's eyes widen with surprise. Kagome slid open the door all the way and crawled out into the room.

_'That's strange, I thought Shiori would've noticed me sooner,' _thought Kagome.

But as Kagome watched Shiori's expression, everything became clear to her. Shiori didn't realize that she was awake at all. The only reason Shiori noticed her, was because she just happened to see her. If she never turned her head, Kagome would still be watching them.

_'Her power,' _ Kagome thought. _'Is it…weakening along with the power of the Sacred Lands?'_

It seemed that Shiori also came to that conclusion. For a long moment, she could do nothing but stare at Kagome. Soon she wasn't even staring at her anymore. Shiori was simply staring into space; lost in thought.

"Kagome! It's really good to see you," said Emi, attempting to break the awkward silence. "Well, as the Queen, I'd like to formally welcome you to the Sacred Lands."

"Thank-you very much, Emi." she said with a sheepish smile. "'I'm sorry for not speaking sooner. I didn't want to interrupt. I thought it'd be rude."

"So you chose to eavesdrop on our conversation instead?" asked Shiori as she furrowed her brow. "We we're talking about anything private, but still..."

"Kagome, how are you feeling?" asked Emi. "I'm surprised you're awake right now. It's very tiring to travel through the sacred barrier."

"Especially for a human," Shiori added. "But you get use to it after awhile. I'm not surprised that you were able to recover so quickly. You have immense spiritual power."

"Oh yes, that's right!" exclaimed Emi.

"I'm more surprised that Inuyasha has yet to get up," she answered. "That lazy menace! You have no idea how badly I want to kick him already."

"Uh…I don't think he'll be too happy about that when he wakes up," said Kagome warily.

"Hmph, like I care," said Shiori crossing her arms.

"Shiori, I'm going to find those herbs now. I should be back soon," said Emi rising to her feet.

"I already told you, it's not a good idea," she replied. "Just use the tunnel."

Emi frowned, "But…it's dark and scary down there! I don't want to go down there alone. I'm sure I'll be fine."

"But they'll see us,"

"No they won't," said Emi pulling out a small hand mirror from her lining. "Take this, it's a sacred mirror."

"I know what it is," said Shiori rolling her eyes. "You and Reika used them all the time to spy on me. I thought they were to only be used by the royal court."

"No, this isn't the same type of mirror. I brought this one just for you," said Emi "It's a communication mirror to keep us in contact. The best part about is that as long as you have one within your possession, no one else can see you through the sacred waters or mirrors. It extends a few feet around you too, so you'll all have to stay close if you want to be unseen."

"So it's like a giant cloak?" asked Kagome.

Emi nodded, "exactly. It should keep you well hidden."

"I still don't think this is a good idea," said Shiori firmly.

But Emi moved towards the door anyway. She turned and gave her sister a warm smile.

"I'll be fine," she cheerfully said. "Don't be so paranoid."

With that, Emi disappeared, sliding the door back behind her. Shiori sat motionless and stared into a far corner of the room. Kagome, unsure of what to say, quietly watched her.

"Um, Shiori?" she finally asked.

Shiori looked up at her, waiting for her to continue.

"This place, is it your home?"

"I was born and raised here. I lived here with my mother," she answered.

"What was your mother like?" said Kagome.

"My mother?" asked Shiori, slightly confused. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I've never heard you talk about her before," she said, looking down into her lap. "I hope I didn't offend you or anything."

Shiori shook her head, "it's not that. I just don't talk about her often."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kagome apologized. Her face went pink.

"Everyone that met her described her as a gentle and kind spirit," said Shiori. "Just like any tennin should be. A ray of sunshine is what they called her."

"Oh," said Kagome softly, imagining what Shiori's mother looked like.

"But, they just didn't know here well enough," Shiori smirked.

"Huh?"

"My mother was very reserved, unless you did something to anger. But in actuality, that wasn't a hard task to accomplish,"

"I'm guessing you were her source of anger?" asked Kagome.

"Heh, of course I was," Shiori replied. "My mother was the only person cable of scaring me into submission with just a single glare. No one else has been capable of doing such a thing."

"But, I imagined your Mother as being the kind and generous one and your Father as the dark, one."

"Ha, my father's the nice one! Mother's pure heart was indeed genuine, but her gentle spirit….not so much. She had an enormous mean streak. But she was smart enough not to show it in public. There's a reason my father chose her to be the mother of his child…"

"I always thought you took after your father, but it seems like you took after your mother instead,"

"To be honest, I have traits from both my parents," Shiori sighed. "When word got out of my real heritage, everyone blamed my bad behavior on my shinigami origins. No one believed that someone living in the Sacred Lands could be so un-pure. But there are lots of "un-pure" people here. And because they don't fit into the status quo, they're forced to wear a mask. I chose not to wear that mask. Not because I wanted to make a statement, but because I simply didn't care about anything."

"How awful," said Kagome softly.

"You know, she had such long curly hair," Shiori said, twirling a strand of her own around her finger. "But she never wore it that way. She brushed it for hours just to get rid of the curls. Straight hair is supposed to be far more luscious than curly hair. That's what she told me as she brushed out the waves in my hair."

"I thought life here was supposed to be perfect," said Kagome happily.

"The ignorance of the tennin people astonishes me more and more each day. There are still plenty of tennin that despise me because of the scandal with my mother," She continued. "But I don't hate the Sacred Lands or its people because of what happened to me. I'm simply indifferent to it all," "However, I won't let Enma destroy the Sacred Lands. I don't want anyone to go through what I did in Hell…"

_'Shiori…..' _Kagome thought as she listened to Shiori speak.

"I hate you," said Shiori flatly.

"Eh?"

"Those were my parting words Mother right before I was exiled from here," explained Shiori. "That was the last thing I ever said to her. 'I hate you'."

"I'm sure you didn't mean them," Kagome assured.

"No, at the time I did," Shiori replied. "I never say things I don't mean."

"So how do you feel now?"

Shiori thought for a long moment, "I'm no longer angry at her or what she did. I've forgiven her long ago…I just wish she knew that."

Suddenly, the door the other room slid open. Inuyasha calmly walked out and glanced around.

"What the hell? Where are we?" He demanded to know.

"You can stand?" asked Shiori with surprise.

He angrily crossed his arms, "of course I can. Now tell me where we are!"

While Kagome explained everything to Inuyasha, Shiori wrapped herself up in her thoughts.

_'Hmm, maybe we won't need those herbs after all,' thought_ Shiori. _'If Inuyasha is at least able to move.'_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Originally, chap 11 and 12 were one. But Looking back at Shiori, Angel of Darkness...I realized that my chapters were too long! So, I've been trying to shorten them. Chapter 11 was getting way to long so I just split it into 2! But this one is longer because I was trying to find a good part to break off at.<strong>_


	12. The Images of a Mirror

**And we're back with chapt 12...which is actually chap 11 part 2 but shhhh! Do I really need to make another disclaimer for this one?**

* * *

><p>Shiori looked back into the room, Rin was still unconscious. It might take her a little longer to wake up but they were running out of time. She looked down at the mirror her sister gave her.<p>

"Huh? What's that thing?" asked Inuyasha.

"It's a tennin mirror," Shiori answered. "Tennin use it to communicate with one another. I'm going to contact Emi and tell her we don't need the herbs anymore,"

She warily stared down at the strange mirror, "…..just as soon as I figure out how to use it."

Both Inuyasha and Kagome face faulted to the floor.

"You mean you don't know how to use your own artifact?" shouted Inuyasha.

"Well it's not like I used one before!" she shot back.

"Look, can we just forget the stupid mirror and go find Enma now? Isn't that the whole point of coming here?"

"Unlike some people, Inuyasha, I don't like to blindly rush into battle," Shiori remarked. "Besides, we were waiting for you to wake up and—"

All of the sudden, Shiori's mirror began to glow. All three of them stared at it with wonder.

"Shiori you did it!" exclaimed Kagome.

"I didn't do anything," she shrugged. "It's doing that on its own accord."

They waited for an image to show up, but nothing else happened. It just kept shinning with a brilliant white light. Shiori angrily tapped on the glass.

"It won't do anything else!"

"Maybe it works like a cell phone," said Kagome. "Try holding it up in the air. It might get a better signal that way."

"Okay, I'll try that," said Shiori, standing to her feet as she lifted the mirror above her head. She turned to Inuyasha and carefully lowered her voice. "What's a cell phone?"

"I don't know," he whispered back. "I guess it's another weird device from her old world."

...0.0

Nekuma flew into the air and slammed hard into the ground. She continued to skid back across the grass before stopping just short of a tree. She struggled to regain her footing before being blasted back once again.

"I thought cats always landed on their feet," Sesshomaru jeered as he paced towards her. "Was I mistaken?"

She leered at him, "you princely bastard! How did a brat like you manage to surpass your father's power?"

"It looks like you won't be getting that revenge you spoke of," he responded.

"Darling, don't count me out just yet," she said, rising to her feet. "We're not through here."

"We soon will be," he coldly replied.

"As cute as you are, Sesshomaru, you're not a real man," she teased as she attacked him with an energy blast. "A real man would never hit a lady!"

Sesshomaru swiftly dodged each one of Nekuma's attacks and took to the air. Seeing this as an opportunity to destroy him, Nekuma leapt towards him with her claws extracted. Just as she was about to strike him, Sesshomaru rammed his sword into her abdomen. Nekuma screeched with pain as Sesshomaru forced her to the ground. Her stared down at her motionless body as he withdrew his sword from her chest.

"You are not a lady," he dismissed.

"Excellent work Lord Sesshomaru!" exclaimed Jaken as he came running out of a bush. "You disposed of her quite nicely!"

"Jaken," said Sesshomaru sharply. "She's not dead."

"Eh? But you stabbed her with the Bakusaiga! No one could survive that there's no way she—"

"She's _not _dead…"

Suddenly, Nekuma's eyes came to life and she started laughing hysterically. Jaken whimpered and ran for cover behind Sesshomaru's leg.

"Ack! It's true! The crazy cat wench is still alive!" he screeched. "Dear God, why?"

"You might be stronger than your daddy, Sesshomaru, but that doesn't mean you can defeat me so easily," she said with a smirk.

"Kill her with fire, Milord!" Jaken barked.

"Such arrogance," said Sesshomaru, ignoring Jaken. "Is that truly what you believe? This place will soon me be your grave, Nekuma."

"Unfortunately for you, I won't be fighting you to the death at this time," she laughed. "We'll have to conclude this in the Sacred Lands. He wants all of you in the same place so we can take you out at once. I was simply here to test out your strength. And now I know your limits."

"How dare you talk about Lord Sesshomaru that way!" shouted Jaken. "He just mopped the floor with you!"

"Hmm, so my hunch was correct," said Sesshomaru. "You were holding back."

She smirked, "oh, aren't you the smart one? You caught on! Well, it doesn't matter now. The next time we meet will be in the Sacred Lands…but I won't be holding back."

"Do you truly believe I'm just going to wait until next time?" he questioned, looking down at her. "Don't be a fool."

He swung at her, but she jumped to her feet and caught his blade with her bare hands.

"I'd be carefully if I were you," she threatened. "You see, I am a very important part of King Enma's plan. Killing me will totally destroy that plan. Shiori has already entered the Sacred Lands. If you kill me now, he just may retaliate by killing her early."

"I doubt your death could cause Enma to go into a spiraling rage," Sesshomaru rebutted. "No matter how much power you think you have, you're still expendable."

"Maybe, but Shiori's not…or is she? Or how about that young priestess? Do you really want to risk their lives by foiling King Enma's plan?"

"You said so yourself that you were simply holding back," he grunted.

"Yes, but killing you here isn't a part of the plan either. And I'd be severely punished," she explained. "Don't you see? This is all a part of the Grandmaster's revenge. Everything must go perfectly…even the tiniest change can cause him to go berserk."

"All the more reason to change it,"

"This brings me back to my earlier question. Do you really want to risk the lives of those you care about?

"Are you telling me to allow him to go through with his scheme?" Sesshomaru questioned. "That's absurd."

"No, of course not. There will be plenty of opportunity to save everyone from Hell. In fact, he welcomes you to try…but, it's hopeless! None of you can win!"

Sesshomaru pulled back his blade and tried to slice Nekuma again, but she jumped to the nearest tree branch.

"Yet, you still attack me. What kind of mate are you? Sesshomaru, you should really be worried about Shiori's well being. Especially with the state she's in," bellowed Nekuma.

He narrowed his eyes, "what are you talking about now?"

"You can't see it yet, but soon you will," said Nekuma with a wicked grin. "As long as the power of the Sacred Lands weakens, she will continue to change…"

Jaken peered out from behind Sesshomaru, "Change? How will she change?"

"She will no longer be the girl you use to know. She will not even have the privilege of dying as her true self," Nekuma taunted. "That girl will be gone forever…"

Nekuma disappeared into the forest. Sesshomaru didn't even make a move to stop her.

"Milord, she's getting away!" Jaken pointed out.

"Let her," he responded.

"What do you think she meant about Shiori changing?" Jaken pondered. "Hmph, if she's going to change, then I hope she becomes a nicer person! Because the other day she called me rotten toad and—"

"Jaken," Sesshomaru snapped.

"Yes Milord?" he gulped.

Sesshomaru looked down at the little imp by his side, "why are you here? Weren't you supposed to go with Shiori and Rin?"

"I was! But Shiori forced me to act as a distraction for those evil cat creatures!" Jaken complained. "I nearly escaped with my life! Ugh, she has no regards for me safety!"

"Lord Sesshomaru!" called a voice from above.

It was Kohaku! He, Sango, and Miroku were flying in on Kirara. They landed down directly in front of him.

"What happened here?" he asked.

"I see, so you also bare the mark of Enma," said Sesshomaru dryly.

"Who's that?" asked Jaken.

"Master Jaken, you don't remember?" Kohaku frowned. "It's me, Kohaku. Remember?"

Jaken's mouth hung open, "K-Kohaku? That's really you? When did you get so…tall?"

"You can get reacquainted with the boy later," said Sesshomaru, headed towards the cave. "Come, Jaken."

Jaken hobbled after him, "wait, Lord Sesshomaru!"

"It looks as if Inuyasha and the others have already travelled to the Sacred Lands," Miroku noted. "We must follow after Sesshomaru."

"Is it me or does he look more annoyed then usual?" asked Sango.

"Ah, you noticed it too? I thought I was the only one," laughed Miroku.

"Kirara, let's catch up to Lord Sesshomaru," said Kohaku, gently patting her head. "We'll need to follow him if we want to enter the Sacred Lands too."

Kirara growled in acknowledgment and flew after the demon lord.

_ "As long as the power of the Sacred Lands weakens, she will continue to change…"_

Nekuma's words echoed through Sesshomaru's mind. He hated the distorted expression she had whenever she talked about Shiori. Nekuma was getting such a cheap thrill out of the whole thing. That treacherous fiend.

_'I will not allow that to happen,' _he thought to himself. _'I will not allow them to turn her into a shinigami…'_

...0^_^

"Try moving it a little more to the left," Kagome instructed. "No wait, that's too far! Move it back a little."

"Kagome, this is ridiculous! " Shiori protested. "We've been at this for about 10 minutes now. I'm telling you, this isn't working."

"Uh….well maybe if we tried on the roof?" she said with a smile.

"Ugh! This is a waste of time! We could've already found Enma by now!" Inuyasha fussed. "Why are we still fooling around with this stupid mirror?"

"Well maybe it won't work because you're corrupting it with your negative energy!" Kagome shot back.

"Well excuse me for wanting to actually do something other than sit around on my ass!"

"You know, I really don't like your tone right now!" Kagome angrily shouted.

"Oh yeah? Well my tone really doesn't like you right now!"

Kagome's left eye twitched as she angrily crossed her arms.

"Inuyasha…" she said with strain.

Inuyasha's expression suddenly changed from fiery to fearful. "Kagome, let's not get crazy now!"

"…SIT!"

Inuyasha's face sunk to the ground, making the whole house shake.

"Ack!" he cried out in pain.

Shiori closed her eyes and placed her hand to her temple.

"Will you two please stop behaving like a stereotypical married couple? You're giving me a headache," she expressed.

"Hey, look!" said Kagome pointing to the mirror. "I can see something!"

Shiori curiously examined the mirror. Kagome was right! There was a slight image appearing in the glass. A figure with long white hair was slowly beginning to appear.

"Emi?" shouted Shiori. "Emi where are you?"

"Hello sister," said a voice projecting from the mirror.

Shiori gasped. That voice—it wasn't her sister's! She watched as the face in the mirror finally became clear to her.

"Hello brother," Shiori dryly responded.

"Tell me, are you enjoying your unauthorized visit home?" Jirou questioned.


End file.
